Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can have a dramatic effect on a trauma survivor and if left untreated, the chronic effects of PTSD can be debilitating psychologically, financially, and physically. Several organizations have endorsed “best practice” guidelines for the treatment of PTSD, with cognitive-behavioral interventions the most highly recommended. One of these interventions is cognitive processing therapy (CPT), which has been researched with assault, rape, combat, and child sexual abuse survivors. CPT is a 12-session, manualized treatment protocol that focuses on the meaning the individual has made of the trauma and helps the individual challenge negative cognitions that stem from the event. Research has shown that CPT is effective with a majority of individuals who receive the protocol and that the treatment not only improves PTSD, but related symptoms as well (e.g., depression and guilt). This book chapter will provide an overview of the treatment protocol and will review the research on CPT to date. Finally the chapter will discuss a dissemination initiative in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs designed to train clinicians at every VA hospital in CPT.
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Chard, K.M., Walter, K.H. (2015). Cognitive Processing Therapy: Beyond the Basics. In: Safir, M., Wallach, H., Rizzo, A. (eds) Future Directions in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7522-5_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7522-5_12
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