The investigators proposed to compare a modified Prolonged Exposure intervention to treatment as usual within a hospitalized injured trauma survivor sample, to determine with this intervention could prevent the development of PTSD.

Inclusion Criteria:

• All consecutive motor vehicle crash (MVC), industrial accident, and physical assault trauma survivors (i.e. victims of gunshot wounds, stab wounds), ages 18-75, to include both men and women, without evidence of serious cognitive impairment, admitted to the trauma surgery service at Froedtert Hospital beginning at the start of the funding period will be considered for recruitment.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals who:

  1. have evidence of moderate to severe cognitive impairment secondary to trauma-related head injury,
  2. have self-inflicted injury,
  3. are more than 2 weeks post-trauma,
  4. do not meet the DSM-5 definition of a traumatic stressor for PTSD,
  5. screen positive for a current substance abuse problem ((i.e. intoxication and memory loss upon arrival or a current substance use diagnosis),
  6. are non-English speaking,
  7. are not medically stable,
  8. cannot identify a support person to attend a session with them
  9. do not score a 2 or more on the 5-item PTSD subscale of the 9-item screen.