Comparison of Prolonged Exposure (PE) Coach to Treatment as Usual: A Case Series With Two Active Duty Soldiers

Abstract

PE Coach is a mobile application (app) designed as a treatment companion to support patient and provider work during prolonged exposure (PE), a first-line treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Little research exists about patients’ and providers’ reactions to mobile apps in the context of psychotherapy. The present study examined PE Coach with 2 soldiers to assess usability and satisfaction with the app. Soldiers completed 8 sessions of PE and used PE Coach during 4 of those sessions. Soldiers rated the PE Coach positively and reported higher levels of satisfaction during PE with PE Coach as compared with PE alone. Authors discuss their clinical observations from using PE Coach. The soldier and provider experiences demonstrate the potential value of PE Coach in enhancing treatment engagement and support the value of future research exploring mobile computing platforms to support evidence-based treatments, in general.

• exposure therapy
• mobile applications
• PE Coach
• posttraumatic stress disorder