Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD, First Edition

Patricia A. Resick, PhD, ABPP, is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University. She began developing and testing cognitive processing therapy (CPT) in 1988 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where she founded the Center for Trauma Recovery and was an Endowed Professor, and subsequently has worked with Candice M. Monson and Kathleen M. Chard to refine and further test the approach. Dr. Resick has served as president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). She is a recipient of Lifetime Achievement awards from the ISTSS, the ABCT, and Division 56 (Trauma Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. Other honors include the Robert S. Laufer Memorial Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement from the ISTSS, the Leadership Award from the Association of VA Psychologist Leaders, and the Outstanding Educator/Trainer Award from the ABCT. Candice M. Monson, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is President-Elect of the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies and is a Fellow of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Monson is a foremost expert on traumatic stress and the use of individual and conjoint therapies to treat PTSD. She is coauthor of Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD and Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD and coeditor of Effective Treatments for PTSD, Third Edition, among other books. Kathleen M. Chard, PhD, is Associate Chief of Staff for Research at the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati. As the VA Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Implementation Director, Dr. Chard oversees the dissemination of CPT to VA clinicians across the United States. She is an associate editor of the Journal of Traumatic Stress and a board member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Dr. Chard is a recipient of the Mark Wolcott Award for Excellence in Clinical Care Leadership from the VA and the Heroes of Military Medicine Award from the United Service Organization. Known for her research on dissemination and clinical implementation of evidence-based treatments for civilians and veterans, she is the creator of the CPT for Sexual Abuse manual.

I. Background on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Cognitive Processing Therapy
1. The Origins of Cognitive Processing Therapy
2. Research on CPT
II. Setting the Stage Clinically
3. Treatment Considerations
4. Preparing to Deliver CPT
III. CPT Manual
5. Overview of PTSD and CPT: Session 1
6. Finding Stuck Points: Sessions 2 and 3
7. Processing the Index Event: Sessions 4 and 5
8. Learning to Self-Challenge: Sessions 6 and 7
9. Trauma Themes—Safety, Trust, and Power/Control: Sessions 8–10
10. Esteem, Intimacy, and Facing the Future: Sessions 11–12 and Aftercare
IV. Alternatives in Delivery and Special Considerations
11. Variations on CPT: CPT with Written Accounts, Variable-Length CPT, and CPT for Acute Stress Disorder
12. Group CPT and CPT for Sexual Abuse
13. Issues in Working with Different Trauma Types
14. Diversity and Cross-Cultural Adaptations
References