Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD

I offer Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) as part of my work with adults experiencing PTSD and trauma-related difficulties. CPT is a structured, evidence-based treatment that can help people understand and change beliefs that developed following traumatic experiences and continue to cause distress in the present.

What is CPT?

After a traumatic experience, it is natural to try to make sense of what happened. Sometimes, however, the conclusions we draw can leave us feeling stuck long after the immediate danger has passed.

You may find yourself thinking, I should have known. I should have done something differently. I can't trust anyone. I'm not safe. There's something wrong with me. These beliefs can become deeply connected to feelings of guilt, shame, fear, anger, or helplessness.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a specialized form of cognitive behavioral therapy developed specifically for PTSD. Rather than asking you simply to “think positively” about what happened, CPT helps you examine the meanings and beliefs that developed around the trauma and consider whether they continue to fit what you know now.

The goal is not to minimize what happened or persuade you that it wasn't as painful as it was. It is to help loosen the hold that trauma may continue to have on how you see yourself, other people, and the world.

What Happens in CPT?

CPT is generally a focused, structured treatment. Over the course of therapy, we identify places where trauma may have affected beliefs about safety, trust, power and control, self-esteem, and intimacy.

Together, we look carefully at thoughts that may be keeping you caught in guilt, shame, fear, avoidance, or self-blame. You learn ways of examining these beliefs and developing perspectives that are more balanced and accurate.

Importantly, CPT does not require you to recount every detail of a traumatic experience repeatedly. We talk about what happened as much as is useful, but much of the work focuses on what the experience came to mean to you and how those meanings continue to affect your life.

CPT is often completed in approximately 12 sessions, although treatment can be adapted depending on the individual and the nature of the trauma.

What Can CPT Help With?

CPT was developed specifically for PTSD and has been extensively studied as a treatment for trauma-related symptoms.

It may be particularly helpful when you find yourself struggling with persistent beliefs such as:

“It was my fault.”
“I should have prevented it.”
“I can't trust anyone.”
“The world isn't safe.”
“I'm permanently damaged.”

For some people, these beliefs are clearly connected to a particular traumatic event. For others, particularly those who have experienced repeated or longstanding trauma, they may have become woven into a broader understanding of themselves and their relationships.

CPT and Complex Trauma

People who have experienced complex or longstanding trauma often carry beliefs about themselves and others that developed over many years rather than following a single event.

Shame, self-blame, difficulty trusting others, feeling unsafe in relationships, or believing that one's needs do not matter can become deeply established patterns.

CPT can be very useful in identifying and working with these trauma-related beliefs. At the same time, complex trauma may call for work that extends beyond a structured trauma protocol.

In these situations, I may integrate elements of CPT within a broader psychodynamic and relational psychotherapy, allowing us to address both particular trauma-related beliefs and the longer history of relationships and experiences in which they developed.

CPT Within a Broader Psychotherapy

I don't assume that everyone who has experienced trauma needs the same treatment. For some people, a focused course of CPT is exactly what is needed. For others, trauma is intertwined with longstanding questions about relationships, identity, attachment, grief, depression, anxiety, or the ways they have learned to protect themselves emotionally.

My approach is psychodynamic and relational, and I use CPT when its structure and methods can add something important to the work. Sometimes CPT may be a distinct phase of treatment; at other times, aspects of it can be integrated into a broader psychotherapy. The treatment should fit the person—not the other way around.

CPT, EMDR, or Another Approach?

There is no single trauma treatment that is best for everyone.

CPT and EMDR are both evidence-based approaches to trauma and PTSD, but they work in different ways. CPT places particular emphasis on the beliefs and meanings that developed following trauma. EMDR works more directly with traumatic memories and the emotional, cognitive, and physical responses associated with them.

For some people, one approach is clearly a better fit. For others, a broader psychodynamic and relational psychotherapy—or a thoughtful combination of approaches—may be more useful.

We can decide together what makes the most sense based on what you have experienced, what is troubling you now, and how you tend to respond when difficult memories or emotions arise.

My Training and Approach

I am a Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Provider and am listed on the official CPT Provider Roster. I have more than 30 years of experience as a clinical psychologist, including three decades as Director of Psychological Services in Rehabilitation Medicine at Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital.

I bring this broader clinical perspective to CPT rather than viewing trauma treatment as a stand-alone technique.

Want to Hear What CPT Can Be Like?

For an accessible, real-world illustration of Cognitive Processing Therapy, This American Life has featured a story following the experience of trauma treatment using CPT. You may find it helpful if you'd like to get a more personal sense of what this kind of work can involve.

Listen to"Ten Sessions" on This American Life

CPT Therapy in NYC and Westchester

I offer CPT as part of my trauma-focused work with adults at my offices on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and in Westchester County. I also offer secure virtual psychotherapy throughout New York State.

I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation so we can talk briefly about what you're experiencing, what you're looking for, and whether CPT—or another approach—might be helpful.