Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART): Helping Patients Move Beyond Trauma Through Evidence-Based Outpatient Care

Man talking with a therapist during an Accelerated Resolution Therapy session at River's Bend.

When healing after trauma requires more than symptom management

Every behavioral healthcare professional has seen it.

A patient completes inpatient treatment. A student returns to school after a psychiatric hospitalization. An employee prepares to transition back to work. A client appears clinically stable, yet trauma continues to interfere with daily functioning.

The question becomes:

What happens next?

Successful behavioral healthcare is rarely determined solely by stabilization. Long-term recovery depends on continuity of care, evidence-based interventions, and timely access to the appropriate level of treatment.

As trauma-informed care continues to evolve, one therapeutic approach is receiving growing attention among behavioral health professionals for its ability to reduce trauma-related distress efficiently while minimizing the need for repeated exposure to painful memories.

That approach is Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART®). 1

For healthcare providers throughout Michigan—including discharge planners, school counselors, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) representatives, therapists, physicians, and inpatient treatment teams—understanding when ART may be appropriate can strengthen referral decisions and improve patient outcomes.

Understanding Trauma Beyond the Diagnosis

Trauma affects far more than memory.

Research from the World Health Organization estimates that most adults worldwide will experience at least one potentially traumatic event during their lifetime. While many recover naturally, others develop persistent symptoms that interfere with emotional regulation, relationships, occupational performance, academic success, and physical health. 2

The National Institute of Mental Health and the National Center for PTSD describe trauma as altering how emotionally significant memories are processed, contributing to intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, avoidance behaviors, sleep disruption, and heightened physiological responses. 3

These symptoms often persist despite strong patient motivation.

For referral partners, recognizing this distinction is critical.

Many individuals leaving inpatient care or traditional outpatient therapy remain functionally impaired—not because they lack insight, but because their nervous system continues responding as though the threat remains present.

What Is Accelerated Resolution Therapy?

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART®) is an evidence-based psychotherapy developed to help individuals process distressing memories through guided eye movements and voluntary image replacement techniques.4

Unlike traditional exposure-based therapies, ART does not require patients to repeatedly verbalize every traumatic detail.

Instead, the therapist guides the individual through structured eye movements while facilitating cognitive and emotional processing that reduces the physiological distress associated with traumatic memories.

Importantly, ART does not erase memory.

Rather, it changes the emotional response connected to that memory.

Patients generally retain factual recall while experiencing substantially less emotional activation.

What Does the Research Tell Us?

Growing evidence supports ART as an effective intervention for trauma-related symptoms.

Clinical studies published through the National Institutes of Health have demonstrated significant reductions in symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, grief, and overall psychological distress following ART treatment.

The ART International Training & Research organization reports favorable outcomes across civilian populations, military veterans, first responders, survivors of violence, healthcare workers, and individuals experiencing complicated grief.5

While ongoing research continues to expand the evidence base, current findings suggest that many individuals experience meaningful improvement in fewer sessions than required for many traditional trauma-focused psychotherapies.

For healthcare systems facing increased behavioral health demand, interventions that are both evidence-based and efficient deserve thoughtful consideration.

Why This Matters for Referral Partners

Discharge planning is ultimately about reducing risk while promoting long-term recovery.

Trauma frequently becomes the underlying factor driving repeated crises, emergency department utilization, psychiatric readmissions, substance use relapse, occupational impairment, or academic decline.

Referral partners increasingly seek outpatient providers capable of addressing these root causes.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy may be particularly valuable for individuals who:

  • Continue experiencing trauma symptoms following inpatient stabilization
  • Are stepping down from residential or partial hospitalization programs
  • Have difficulty discussing traumatic experiences
  • Experience persistent anxiety or intrusive memories
  • Struggle with traumatic grief
  • Demonstrate functional impairment despite medication management
  • Require evidence-based trauma treatment within an outpatient setting

Rather than viewing discharge as the conclusion of treatment, ART may become one component within a comprehensive continuum of behavioral healthcare.

Trauma Treatment Within a Continuum of Care

No single therapy is appropriate for every patient.

Successful trauma care depends upon accurate assessment, individualized treatment planning, and coordination across providers.

At River’s Bend, Accelerated Resolution Therapy complements—not replaces—a broader evidence-based behavioral healthcare model that includes:

  • Comprehensive clinical evaluations
  • Individual psychotherapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Medication management
  • Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP)
  • Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP)
  • Family involvement when clinically appropriate

This multidisciplinary approach allows clinicians to match treatment intensity with each individual’s evolving needs while maintaining continuity throughout recovery.

Meet Alicia Starkey, LMSW

River’s Bend West is proud to offer Accelerated Resolution Therapy through Alicia Starkey, LMSW.

Alicia earned her Bachelor of Arts from Oakland University and her Master of Social Work from Northern Michigan University.

Raised in Metro Detroit and a proud member of the Native American community, Alicia brings cultural humility, family-centered care, and evidence-based practice into every therapeutic relationship.

Her clinical experience includes inpatient behavioral health treatment for children and adolescents ages 7–17, along with extensive work involving family engagement, parenting support, and trauma-informed interventions.

Her therapeutic approach integrates:

  • Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Why River’s Bend?

Behavioral healthcare partnerships succeed when communication is timely, transitions are seamless, and patients receive evidence-based care aligned with their clinical needs.

For more than 30 years, River’s Bend has partnered with hospitals, physicians, therapists, treatment centers, school systems, employers, Employee Assistance Programs, and community organizations throughout Michigan to strengthen continuity of care. That commitment includes personalized treatment planning, prompt assessments, collaborative communication, and a full continuum of outpatient behavioral health services.

Because healing rarely ends at discharge.

It depends on what happens next.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Accelerated Resolution Therapy evidence-based?

Yes. Multiple peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated positive outcomes for PTSD, anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms, although continued research is expanding our understanding of optimal patient populations.

Does ART require patients to relive traumatic events?

Patients process traumatic memories but generally are not required to repeatedly describe every detail aloud, making ART appealing for many individuals reluctant to revisit painful experiences verbally.

Which patients may benefit from referral?

Individuals experiencing PTSD symptoms, traumatic grief, anxiety following trauma, or persistent emotional distress after stabilization may be appropriate candidates following comprehensive clinical assessment.

Can ART be integrated into outpatient treatment?

Yes. ART is often incorporated alongside broader psychotherapy, psychiatric care, Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), or Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) depending on clinical need.

How do I refer a patient?

River’s Bend welcomes collaboration with healthcare professionals throughout Michigan. Referral partners can discuss clinical appropriateness, levels of care, admissions, or complex cases directly with the Business Development team.

Start with Leah.

Whether you’re coordinating a hospital discharge, supporting a student returning to school, assisting an employee through an EAP, or identifying the next appropriate level of behavioral healthcare, you don’t have to navigate those decisions alone.

Leah Bogdanski, BS, CPS, serves as River’s Bend’s dedicated professional referral partner. She works with physicians, therapists, hospitals, treatment centers, school counselors, discharge planners, Employee Assistance Programs, and behavioral healthcare professionals across Michigan to simplify referrals and strengthen continuity of care.

Start with Leah.

Visit the Professional Partners page to discuss a referral, schedule a meeting, explore River’s Bend’s continuum of care, or connect with the appropriate clinical team:

Professional Partners

References

  1. Howe EG, Rosenzweig L, Shuman A. Ethical Reflections on Offering Patients Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). Innov Clin Neurosci. 2018 Aug 1;15(7-8):32-34. PMID: 30254798; PMCID: PMC6145606. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6145606/  ↩︎
  2. Kessler, R. C., Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., Alonso, J., Benjet, C., Bromet, E. J., Cardoso, G., Degenhardt, L., De Girolamo, G., Dinolova, R. V., Ferry, F., Florescu, S., Gureje, O., Haro, J. M., Huang, Y., Karam, E. G., Kawakami, N., Lee, S., Lepine, J., Levinson, D., . . . Koenen, K. C. (2017). Trauma and PTSD in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 8(sup5), 1353383. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2017.1353383  ↩︎
  3. Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US). Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2014. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 57.) Chapter 3, Understanding the Impact of Trauma. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207191/  ↩︎
  4. Evidence-Based – Accelerated resolution Therapy. (2026, June 9). Accelerated Resolution Therapy. https://acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com/evidence-based/  ↩︎
  5. Authentic Relating Training. (2026, June 11). Home – ART International. ART International. https://authenticrelating.co/  ↩︎

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