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Table 1 Description of sessions

From: Life review therapy for holocaust survivors (LRT-HS): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Session no.

Topic

Therapeutic strategies

Module 1: Introduction and motivation, diagnostics and goal setting

 1

Introduction and motivation

Introduction to and rationale of life review; tools (photos and other objects); life book; organizational issues

 2

Diagnostics

Diagnostic investigation of symptoms, resources and social factors; overview over biography (“timeline”)

 3

Goal setting

Setting individual goals; preparation for first life review session

Module 2: Structured life review

 4–5

Childhood

Questions on childhood; life book

 6

Adolescence

Questions on adolescence; life book

 7–8

Adulthood

Questions on adulthood; life book

 9–10

Integration

Summary and integration questions

Module 3: Narrative confrontation with the stressor

 11

Pre-Holocaust experiences

Getting an overview about the experiences; clarifying the context of a single event; details of a single event; ending the narrative; making meaning of the event (often in the following session)

 12–13

Holocaust experiences

Getting an overview about the experiences; clarifying the context of a single event; details of a single event; ending the narrative; making meaning of the event (often in the following session)

 14

Post-Holocaust experiences

Getting an overview about the experiences; clarifying the context of a single event; details of a single event; ending the narrative; making meaning of the event (often in the following session)

Module 4: Examining stuck points

 15

Identifying stuck points

Identifying functional and dysfunctional thinking in four domains; maybe beginning the discussion of dysfunctional thoughts

 16

Discussing dysfunctional thoughts

Challenging dysfunctional thoughts (e.g. Socratic dialogue); formulating functional thoughts; introducing the exercise of writing a letter to the child-self

 17

Letter to the child-self

Reading the letter out loud; summarising the most important insights and conclusions for the future

Module 5: Recapturing life

 18

Social contacts

Sharing biographic events and insights; reading the trauma narrative to relatives; maybe handing over the biography to relatives

 19

Pleasant activities

Individual list of pleasant activities; planning activities; discussing problems with pleasant activities

Module 6: Closing the therapy

 20

Concluding session

Re-examining goals; evaluation of interventions; planning the future