Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy that aims to reduce the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
This form of therapy is generally delivered over 12 weekly sessions. CPT is not only effective for people who have experienced one traumatic event, but also for people who have experienced multiple traumas.
When people have PTSD, they incorrectly attribute blame to themselves as to why the traumatic event occurred and they develop certain beliefs that end up preventing them from recovering from their trauma.
What's involved in Cognitive Processing Therapy?
In undergoing CPT, you’ll learn about how PTSD develops and begin to identify which beliefs you hold that are maintaining your symptoms.
These beliefs might be along the lines of “If I had acted sooner, I could’ve prevented what happened,” “I should’ve known that I was going to get hurt,” or “I am a bad person.”
CPT can be helpful in reducing trauma related symptoms such as:
- Anger
- Nightmares
- Self-blame/guilt
- Hypervigilance
- Dissociation
- Anxiety
CPT places a strong emphasis on completing worksheets outside of sessions to adjust unhelpful thought processes and consolidating the skills learnt in session.
The techniques that you will learn from CPT are generalisable, which means that they can be applied to any other worries or unhelpful thought processes that you might engage in.
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