I utilize CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy) to treat PTSD. It is a form of CBT specifically applied to PTSD. CPT is one of 3 treatments that the Veteran’s Administration has approved for the treatment of trauma. What I appreciate so much about CPT is that it is brief and it minimizes the likelihood of you being re-traumatized because you don’t have to share a lot of the details of your trauma with me. This might sound too good to be true, but I promise it’s true. What you do have to do is give me the “title” of your story. Imagine it was a book, for example. So the title you might give me is, “I was driving when a fatal accident occurred.” Now, you’ll still be working with the details, but you will do it privately with your worksheets and when you work with the details, it will be just one at a time. I think that makes it less overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong: this is not an easy trauma therapy, but it is a gentler trauma therapy. And, importantly, it’s very effective. If you do the work, you can end treatment no longer qualifying for a diagnosis of PTSD. I’ve seen it happen again and again.

CPT generally takes 12 sessions, although it can be done in as few as 8 or it can go longer if needed. Another thing I appreciate about CPT is that each week you take a PTSD assessment so we can see how you are responding and so we end treatment when you no longer need it, rather than too soon or too late. These assessments are how I know that people have recovered to the point they no longer qualify for the diagnosis of PTSD. In the sessions you will be learning some important skills to help you be your own therapist after you complete CPT. You’ll find that the tools can be useful in all areas of your life. These skills build upon each other as you progress through the treatment.