A review of psychological debriefing after extreme stress

Preventive intervention after exposure to traumatic events is a subject of increasing interest among mental health professionals. Psychological debrie fing, which aims to reduce the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder and ot her psychopathological sequelae of traumatic experiences, is an example of such an intervention. The authors review the history of psychological debri efing and examine its efficacy. They conclude that psychological debriefing might be an effective intervention after extreme stress, although more sup port from controlled studies is required.