Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is practiced in Kitchener-Waterloo, Milton, Oakville, London and the surrounding areas. Anchoridge Counselling takes pride in the therapy practice offered to help clients with individual needs.
Many individuals are affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on a daily basis. PTSD can often occur in individuals who have experienced or witness traumatic events.The experience of trauma can be difficult to process and can lead to feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, sadness, fear, an inability to focus, loss of sense of control, avoidance, flashbacks, and in severe cases, thoughts of suicide.
The Effects of Trauma and PTSD
Experiencing a traumatic event or prolonged exposure to trauma can dramatically change and distort the way you think about yourself and the world. The impact of trauma can, in fact, lead to actual changes in the chemistry and structure of the brain. When experiencing trauma, our brains go into “fight or flight mode” and all our energy is put into dealing with the threat. For individuals affected by PTSD, when they are reminded of the traumatic experience their amygdala goes into overdrive, just as it does when the trauma is first experienced. This can suppress other brain functions making you feel “stuck” and in a fearful state.
Typically thought processes of trauma and PTSD include believing you are to blame for the traumatic event(s) or that the world is a dangerous place. These kinds of thoughts keep individuals stuck in maladaptive behaviours, isolation, and avoidance leading to poor functioning, low quality of life and co-occurring depression and anxiety.
What is CPT?
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is an evidence-based treatment that is effective in treating individuals diagnosed with PTSD or struggling with symptoms associated with trauma. This includes, but is not limited to, work-related trauma as may be experienced by first responders, veterans, correctional officers or other “helping” professions, any sort of physical or sexual abuse, and major life-threatening accidents. Through CPT, individuals can learn to create new understandings of the traumatic events they have experienced to reduce the negative effects of these events on one’s current life.
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Understanding CPT
Cognitive Processing Therapy teaches clients how to evaluate and change the upsetting thoughts they have had since experiencing the traumatic event. Similar to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the premise is that by changing your thought pattern, you can change how you feel and behave. CPT helps teach individuals new ways of coping and managing upsetting thoughts, images, and triggers. It also helps individuals challenge and alter unhelpful beliefs and thoughts related to themselves or the traumatic event and modify their behaviour, while simultaneously promoting a new and healthier understanding of their lived experience.
The 7 Step Process of CPT
- 1. Education and Goal Setting
Learn about PTSD, how trauma impacts thoughts and emotions, and what to expect from CPT.
2. Identify Unhelpful Beliefs
Explore stuck points—unhelpful or distorted beliefs about the trauma, yourself, or the world.
3. Write an Impact Statement
Reflect on how the trauma has affected your beliefs about safety, trust, power, control, esteem, and intimacy.
4. Examine Thoughts and Patterns
Use worksheets to identify thought patterns and how they connect to emotions and behaviours.
5. Challenge and Reframe Stuck Points
Practice replacing unhelpful thoughts with more balanced and realistic ones.
6. Focus on Key Themes
Explore how the trauma has shaped your beliefs in core areas like blame, control, and trust.
7. Revise the Impact Statement
Revisit and rewrite your statement to reflect growth and more adaptive beliefs.
The clinicians at Anchoridge Counselling are here to help you work through your trauma and improve your quality of life. We believe that every individual has the power to discover new ways of interacting with the world. Our goal is for you to understand and accept reality rather than seeing the world through the lens of fear and avoidance or shame.
Many of our clinicians incorporate this therapy approach in their practice. A few are listed below, but to explore more options and find your best match, we recommend booking a free 15-minute intake consultation.
Available Counsellors
