Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) focuses on how a person perceives a traumatic event and processes the associated "stuck" beliefs. It is a type of talk therapy designed to help people recover from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and related conditions. It is a short-term therapy (usually 12 therapy sessions), but can vary depending on each individual's experiences and need.
Through CPT, a person will identify and change unhelpful beliefs they may have developed after a traumatic experience—especially thoughts that keep them feeling stuck, unsafe, or guilty.
Core concepts of CPT
- Education about PTSD and Trauma - Understanding how traumatic experiences affect thoughts, emotions, and behavior is the first step to healing.
- Identifying “Stuck Points” - Traumatic events can create rigid, unhelpful beliefs—often about safety, trust, control, self-worth, or relationships.
- Challenging and Restructuring Unhelpful Beliefs - Thoughts directly influence feelings and behaviors.
- Addressing Trauma Themes - Trauma often impacts the key life areas of safety, trust, power/control, esteem, and intimacy.
- Encouraging Emotional Processing and Forward Movement - Avoiding thoughts and feelings about the trauma prevents healing. Facing them in a safe, structured way allows the brain to reprocess the memory.
What does CPT help?
- Childhood physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
- Past domestic violence or intimate partner violence
- Other interpersonal violence or abuse
- Sexual assault
- Traumatic childbirth (birth trauma)
- Intensive care unit (ICU) experiences
- Combat and military-related trauma
- Serious car, motorcycle, or other transportation accidents
- Natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires)
- Witnessing or learning about someone else's trauma
- Witnessing community or mass violence
- Seeing someone seriously injured or killed
- Learning about the violent or accidental death of a loved one
- Experiences of racial trauma or hate crimes
- Generational or historical trauma
Displacement due to war or persecution
If you or someone you know would benefit from CPT, please contact me today. I would be happy to speak with you about how I may be able to help.