What is Cognitive Processing Therapy?

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Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a short-term, in-depth type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that focuses specifically on negative thoughts people have about themselves and the world due to trauma they experienced. CPT was developed specifically for people diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a highly structured approach to therapy.

Each CPT session has a specific activity or goal in mind, designed to be implemented in one-hour sessions. First, your CPT therapist will talk with you about key concepts, including the effects of trauma and PTSD on mental health. After this, your CPT therapist will go through negative thoughts and how what’s referred to as your “stuck points” can make healing from trauma difficult. The next stages include recounting the details of the trauma you experienced, which CPT practitioners say is key to identifying related problematic thoughts about the self or the world that developed from the trauma.

Identifying stuck points is critical to the healing process. These unhelpful beliefs can contain untrue information, such as “I am a bad person and deserved for my trauma to happen to me.” Your therapist will work with you to challenge these thoughts. Challenging these stuck points can help you regain a sense of power and control over your thoughts, which can lessen trauma symptoms.

Learning positive coping skills is the final step in Cognitive Processing, where you and your therapist work together to establish activities that help you deal with trauma symptoms in ways that enhance your life and move toward your healing goals.

Therapists Who Specialize in Using Cognitive Processing Therapy

I enjoy working with diverse clients with a wide variety of difficulties. The most common issues I work with are depression, trauma, and helping people have a life worth living no matter what their circumstances. I am certified in Cognitive Processing Therapy for Trauma, am experienced in using Dialectical Behavioral Therapy with both individuals and groups, am a part of the LGBTQ+ community an...
Now offering telephone and online therapy to address trauma, addiction, depression, anxiety, relationship challenges and support to get you through reactions to the Coronavirus pandemic. Call (510) 917-4001 to book an appointment. I am a licensed clinical psychologist, a certified Brain Spotting therapist and provide Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for trauma survivors. A specialist in...
I am grateful for the opportunity to assist individuals in discovering a life that they enjoy living. We will work together to explore the impact that past experiences and current circumstances have on your quality of life. You will learn tools that are tailored to your specific needs and gain insight that will assist you in ending unhealthy patterns, relationships, and behaviors. I have...
I have been a clinical psychologist since 1999,primarily working in the areas of PTSD, mood disorders, family conflict, crisis intervention, conduct disorders in children and adolescents, and addiction. In addition, I have specialized training in the treatment of PTSD in a wide range of populations. Specifically, I have been trained in and provided Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged...
Beach Therapy & Consulting provides specialized services tailored to the individual’s needs. We offer individual counseling, marital/couples counseling, family therapy, and group therapy for DBT. We work collaboratively with primary care providers, pediatricians, and other medical providers to ensure coordination of care. Counseling services are available to individuals starting at age 8. We of...
**I am not currently taking on new clients. I have expertise in working with individuals who experience intense emotions that often lead to problems in interpersonal relationships, risky or impulsive behaviors, self-harm and suicide, and intense self-criticism and hopelessness. I am passionate about working with individuals who have not previously found therapy helpful, and am committed to...