The Tapping Evidence Base
PTSD & Trauma

A scoping review of the role and training of paraprofessionals delivering psychological interventions for adults with post-traumatic stress

Xiong, T., Wozney, L., Olthuis, J., Rathore, S., McGrath, P. · Journal of Depression and Anxiety · 2019

Systematic review Preliminary ✓ Source-checked
In plain English. This scoping review looks broadly at using non-specialist ('paraprofessional') helpers to deliver trauma treatment, examining what training they receive. It isn't focused on EFT/tapping specifically - though its included studies do feature a clinical EFT veterans trial and a TFT trial - and it's kept in the catalog as related literature relevant to lay-delivered tapping interventions.

What they found

This scoping review looks broadly at using non-specialist ('paraprofessional') helpers to deliver trauma treatment, examining what training they receive.

The review identified and summarized controlled trial research on paraprofessional-delivered trauma interventions, examining trends and gaps in training approaches (not EFT-specific).

How the study worked

Who took part scoping review of paraprofessional-delivered trauma-focused psychological interventions for adults
What they did This systematic review gathered and appraised the body of published studies against a defined method.
Measured with descriptive statistics on training and role of paraprofessionals

💡 Where this could help

If lay, non-specialist helpers can be trained to deliver trauma interventions as effectively as licensed clinicians, it could mean tapping-based support reaching disaster zones, refugee camps, and rural communities where there simply aren't enough licensed therapists to go around. And because the endpoint of that training is a technique the recipient can go on to self-administer, the benefit wouldn't stop when the paraprofessional moves on to the next camp or the next crisis.

🔬 What to study next

Since this review isn't EFT-specific, a valuable next step would be a dedicated trial testing paraprofessional-delivered tapping protocols against clinician-delivered ones for trauma symptoms, tracking objective stress markers like cortisol and heart rate variability alongside standard PTSD scales, to see whether a briefly trained lay helper can produce the same biological calming effect as a licensed therapist. Mapping which training elements matter most could help humanitarian organizations design minimal, scalable curricula for crisis response.

The full record

DesignSystematic review
Populationscoping review of paraprofessional-delivered trauma-focused psychological interventions for adults
Outcome measuresdescriptive statistics on training and role of paraprofessionals
JournalJournal of Depression and Anxiety
Year2019
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / Tapping
Publication typeReview or meta-analysis
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Xiong, T., Wozney, L., Olthuis, J., Rathore, S., & McGrath, P. (2019). A scoping review of the role and training of paraprofessionals delivering psychological interventions for adults with post-traumatic stress. Journal of Depression and Anxiety. https://doi.org/10.35248/2167-1044.19.8.342

This record is part of the Tapping Evidence Base — an openly-sourced, fully-referenced directory of the research on EFT/Tapping. Explore more studies on PTSD & Trauma

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE PTSD & Trauma ✓ Systematic review WHAT THEY FOUND The review identified and summarizedcontrolled trial research onparaprofessional-delivered trauma… Systematic review Xiong · 2019 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com