Cognitive Processing Therapy
A 12-Session Treatment for PTSD
For when you need to move forward without leaving yourself behind.
When the past still feels present.
What is Cognitive Processing Therapy?
Sometimes an experience ends, but its impact doesn't.
You may find yourself feeling unsafe even when you're no longer in danger. You may struggle to trust others, blame yourself for what happened, or feel that the experience changed something fundamental about who you are.
Trauma can shape the way we make sense of ourselves and the world. The beliefs that develop in response often make sense given what we've experienced. But over time, they can become limiting, painful, or simply no longer fit the life we're living now.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) gives us a focused way to slow down and look at those beliefs with curiosity.
CPT is an evidence-based treatment for PTSD that uses a structured 12-session protocol to help you examine how trauma has affected the way you think about yourself, others, and the world. The goal isn't to convince yourself that what happened wasn't painful or that you should simply move on. It's to develop a fuller understanding of what happened and make room for what comes next.
Is CPT right for you?
CPT may be a good fit if you:
Have experienced a traumatic event and are experiencing symptoms of PTSD
Feel stuck in thoughts or beliefs connected to what happened
Find yourself blaming yourself or others for what happened
Struggle with trust, safety, control, self-worth, or intimacy following trauma
Want a structured and focused approach to trauma treatment
Prefer knowing what treatment will involve and having a defined course of care
CPT may not be the right approach for everyone, and we'll talk together about whether the protocol fits your needs and circumstances.
You can't change what happened. You can change what comes next.
CPT offers a structured space to understand what happened, make room for what you feel, examine the beliefs you've carried since, and begin deciding what you want to carry forward.
12 Weekly Telehealth Sessions — A clear path through the work
How it Works
The Basics
What you can expect
CPT provides a structured, evidence-based path through trauma work while still making room for your individual experience.
Early sessions focus on understanding PTSD, identifying how trauma has affected your life, and beginning to notice patterns in your thinking.
As treatment progresses, we'll examine beliefs related to areas such as safety, trust, control, esteem, and intimacy. Through writing, reflection, and Socratic questioning, you'll have opportunities to look at those beliefs from different perspectives.
By the end of treatment, the goal isn't to erase what happened. It's to have a fuller understanding of what happened—and greater freedom in deciding what it means for your life moving forward.
The Commitment
12 weekly appointments
CPT is not open-ended psychotherapy. The treatment follows a specific protocol, with each session building on the one before it. We will meet weekly for 12 sessions, and there is meaningful work to do between each one.
The writing assignments and daily practice are an essential part of the treatment, not something to do if you happen to have the time. What we talk about in session matters, but the work really happens when you take it with you into your life and practice applying what you're learning. You have to do the work.
That may sound like a lot, because it is. CPT asks you to look directly at things that may be painful or uncomfortable, but there is a reason to believe the work can make a real difference.
$200 — 55-minutes
The Tools
Evidenced-based protocol
Cognitive Processing Therapy is one of the most extensively studied treatments for PTSD, with more than 30 randomized controlled trials examining its effectiveness. It is recommended as a first-line treatment for PTSD by the American Psychological Association and other major clinical practice guidelines.
We will track your symptoms throughout treatment using the PCL-5. For many people, seeing their symptoms reflected in those 20 questions—and eventually seeing that number change—can be a powerful way to recognize that things really are changing.
Research consistently shows that CPT significantly reduces PTSD symptoms, and many people no longer meet criteria for PTSD following treatment. In one large clinical trial, about 6 in 10 people who received CPT no longer met criteria for PTSD at the end of treatment.
Have Questions?
Check out my FAQ page for some answers. While I have addressed some commonly asked questions there, about things like insurance and sliding scale options, feel free to message me through my contact page with more detailed questions. Additionally, our initial consultation call is a time where we can iron out details.