The PTSD Behavioral Activation Workbook: Activities to Help You Rebuild Your Life from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

A simple, effective, and groundbreaking approach to help you move beyond trauma and focus on the things that bring you joy.

If you suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reliving the past through trauma-focused treatments may be too painful a place to start. Behavioral activation—the powerful treatment method outlined in this workbook—provides an essential foundation for recovery by shifting the focus of your trauma to the things in life that give you true fulfillment, joy, and value. This way, you can envision the kind of future you want to have, and move forward in your treatment to pursue that future.

With this breakthrough workbook, you’ll learn to replace unproductive coping strategies—such as avoidance—with activities that you find pleasant and meaningful. You’ll find an overview of behavioral activation: what it is, why it works, and how you can implement it into your life to begin healing the wounds of your past and paving the way for a bright future full of possibility.

If you’ve experienced trauma, you need real tools to help you manage your pain and jumpstart your recovery. With this compassionate and evidence-based workbook, you’ll find actionable solutions to help you begin healing and take that next needed step toward wellness, wholeness, and peace.

Matthew Jakupcak, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and researcher who has studied and treated psychological trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and high-risk behaviors in military veterans, first responders (i.e., firefighters, paramedics, police officers), and young adults. Jakupcak is an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and has published more than fifty peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters, and presented at over sixty national and regional conferences and workshops on the topics of PTSD, depression, suicidal behaviors, interpersonal violence, and behavioral activation treatment interventions in trauma-exposed populations. He lives in Missoula, MT.

Amy Wagner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with the PTSD Clinical Team at the VA Portland Health Care System, and associate professor at Oregon Health and Science University. She specializes in cognitive-behavioral treatments for PTSD, and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT); and holds a part-time practice with a focus on the treatment of PTSD and related disorders. She has published numerous articles on PTSD, and, with Matthew Jakupcak, completed the first randomized clinical trial of behavioral activation for the treatment of PTSD.

Christopher R. Martell, PhD, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist, and is board certified in clinical, behavioral, and cognitive psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is clinic director of the Psychological Services Center, and lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Martell has coauthored eight books, and has authored or coauthored numerous articles and chapters on behavioral activation.

Foreword writer Matthew T. Tull, PhD, is professor in the department of psychology at the University of Toledo. Tull’s research is focused on the role of emotion regulation difficulties in the development and maintenance of PTSD, as well as maladaptive behaviors (e.g., substance use) that often occur in the context of PTSD.