About CPT
Cognitive Processing Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPT for PTSD) is an evidence-based therapy for adults with PTSD. CPT helps individuals make sense of their trauma and understand how it is impacting them, work through difficult emotions, reduce PTSD symptoms, and find ways to move forward and live their lives meaningfully. I am a rostered CPT provider, meaning that I have undergone intensive training and consultation in this approach and am included on the treatment developers' list of trained providers.
CPT is a good option for people who are committed to attending therapy each week and practicing therapy skills daily between sessions. Consistent attendance and skills practice are essential to apply what is learned in therapy to daily life, which is the key to lasting recovery.
When clients attend CPT weekly and practice skills daily, it is one of the most effective and efficient treatments for PTSD: the average time needed to significantly reduce PTSD symptoms and finish therapy with CPT is 14-18 weeks, and many people find they are feeling better in even less time.
You can learn more about CPT for PTSD in this 3-minute video. You can also hear a client's first-hand experience of CPT in the podcast series 10 Sessions by NPR's This American Life.
Publications on Cognitive Processing Therapy
These publications report the findings of some of the major scientific studies on CPT. Research consistently shows that both individual and group CPT help most people experience significant improvement in PTSD symptoms in a short period of time (about14-18 weeks or fewer).
Asmundson, G. J. G., Thorisdottir, A. S., Roden-Foreman, J. W., Baird, S. O., Witcraft, S. M., Stein, A. T., Smits, J. A. J., & Powers, M. B. (2019). A meta-analytic review of cognitive processing therapy for adults with posttraumatic stress disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 48(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2018.1522371
Holliday, R., Holder, N., & Surís, A. (2018). A single-arm meta-analysis of cognitive processing therapy in addressing trauma-related negative cognitions. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 27(10), 1145–1153. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2018.1429511
Lewis, C., Roberts, N. P., Andrew, M., Starling, E., & Bisson, J. I. (2020). Psychological therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder in adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 11(1), Article 1729633. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2020.1729633
Sandanapitchai, P., & Nixon, R. D. (2025). Exploring structural adaptations to cognitive processing therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Behavior Therapy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2025.03.003
Wachen, J. S., Mintz, J., LoSavio, S. T., Kennedy, J. E., Hale, W. J., Straud, C. L., Dondanville, K. A., Moring, J., Blankenship, A. E., Vandiver, R., Young‐McCaughan, S., Yarvis, J. S., Peterson, A. L., & Resick, P. A. (2022). The impact of prior head injury on outcomes following group and individual cognitive processing therapy among military personnel. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 35(6), 1684–1695. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22870