**7. Clinical and research implications**

Clinically, the importance of patient preferences for this population is illustrated. Some patients did not accept randomization, because they needed to tell their stories and did not accept any uncertainty about the possibility to do so. Following patient preferences can enhance treatment motivation, without, on the other hand, blindly following avoidance-based wishes. Regarding treatment outcome, in patients with chronic PTSD and comorbid depression, treatment matching was found to improve treatment response [52]. Careful information and preparation of treatment choices are necessary to reach shared decisions. Regarding further research, the findings of the RCT call for replication in a larger sample**,** including older age groups, and a longer follow-up interval.
