Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive Therapist Manual

The authoritative presentation of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is now in a revised and updated second edition, with an easier-to-use format and a new chapter on conceptualizing treatment. From CPT's developers, the manual includes session-by-session implementation guidelines and extensive sample dialogues. Shaded index tabs in the margins help clinicians quickly navigate to each session. The authors explain the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of CPT and discuss ways to work effectively with specific populations, such as combat veterans, sexual assault survivors, and culturally diverse and LGBTQIA+ clients. Forty-eight reproducible handouts can be photocopied from the large-size book or downloaded from the companion webpage.

New to This Edition

• Each session now has its own chapter, printed with shaded tabs for easy reference.
• Reflects a wealth of new treatment research, conceptual refinements, and feedback from trainings of thousands of clinicians.
• Chapter on cognitive case conceptualization.
• Discusses additional treatment variations (telehealth, intensive CPT) and client populations (first responders).

CPT is endorsed as a best practice for the treatment of PTSD by the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

See also Getting Unstuck from PTSD, by Patricia A. Resick, Shannon Wiltsey Stirman, and Stefanie T. LoSavio, which presents CPT in a guided self-help format for trauma survivors.

Patricia A. Resick, PhD, ABPP, is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine. She developed 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. For a decade, she was Director of the Women’s Health Sciences Division of the National Center for PTSD. She has conducted numerous randomized controlled trials of CPT with civilians and active-duty military. 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 the recipient of numerous research and mentoring awards, including Lifetime Achievement Awards from Division 56 (Trauma Psychology) of the American Psychological Association, ISTSS, and ABCT.

Candice M. Monson, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A Fellow of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations and the Royal Society of Canada, she is a recipient of the Traumatic Stress Psychologist of the Year Award from the Canadian Psychological Association and the Distinguished Mentorship Award from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Dr. Monson is well known for her research on interpersonal factors in traumatization and the development, testing, and dissemination of treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including cognitive processing therapy and cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD.

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. She oversees the dissemination of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) to VA clinicians across the United States and is President of the CPT Training Institute. 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. She is known for her research on dissemination and clinical implementation of evidence-based trauma treatments for civilians, first responders, and veterans, and she is the creator of the CPT for Sexual Abuse treatment manual.