When it comes to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment. Sean O’Hagen, a psychologist and candidate for Binghamton University’s director of Clearview Hall psychological clinic, came to campus to discuss different approaches and options.
The event was part of a job talk hosted by the psychology department, as the department is hiring a visiting assistant professor and director of the psychological clinic to begin in fall 2016. He is one of two candidates interviewing for the position, and his talk was part of his interview for the position. Although the contract for the job is three years, there is the possibility of being hired long-term.
O’Hagen received his bachelor’s in psychology from Montclair State University in 2003 and his doctorate in clinical psychology from BU in 2010. He previously worked at the Syracuse Veteran’s Association (VA), and currently works at the Binghamton VA Outpatient Clinic as a psychologist for patients with PTSD.
There, O’Hagen uses a letter-graded system of recommendations provided by the VA and Department of Defense for treating PTSD. He said that a treatment with an “A” rating improves the health of the patient, while the least successful treatments are given an “F.”
He explained that therapies such as cognitive restructuring, where patients work to identify irrational or negative thoughts, are given the highest recommendation. O’Hagen said he also recommends prolonged exposure, a type of therapy in which patients work through trauma-related thoughts, feelings and emotions instead of avoiding them.
“How I describe it to people is as you have your beliefs and your thoughts and the way you’re walking around the world,” O’Hagen said. “Then this trauma occurs, and it hits you like a freight train, and everything goes everywhere and we’re putting those pieces together.”
While both cognitive reprocessing and prolonged exposure are effective, treatment plans generally come down to patient preference. There are guidelines for which medications to give, as VA guidelines state that some of the most successful treatments for PTSD are antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications.
According to O’Hagen, it’s also necessary for clinicians to consider the patient’s preference, since catering treatment to their preferences often leads to more effective results.
“That’s always an important part — that working relationship [between the patient and therapist] and we know from the data that working relationship is a strong component of patient outcome,” he said.
According to Stephen Lisman, professor emeritus at BU and O’Hagen’s doctoral advisor, O’Hagen’s presentation displayed the quality of clinical psychologists that come out of the University. He said that O’Hagen looks to literature and scientific data to monitor patient progress and outcomes, tactics which he said are important for a successful clinical director and teacher.
“[He has] to be able to impart those very skills to the students that are going to be working under his supervision, as his mentors did with him,” Lisman said.
Brandon Gibb, a professor of psychology at BU and chair of the hiring committee, will make a decision later this month along with three other professors from the psychology department.
“We’re looking for someone who’s a really good teacher but also a really good manager who can coordinate a clinic,” Gibb said. “It’s the first time we’ve ever tried to hire for this type of position.”