Table 1.
Description of sessions
| 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 |