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 |