Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

What is Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)?

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a specialized form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) designed to help individuals who have experienced trauma. It focuses on addressing how trauma affects a person’s thinking patterns and helps them process traumatic memories in a healthier way.

How Does CPT Work?

The goal of CPT is to challenge and change unhelpful beliefs and assumptions related to the trauma. It typically involves the following stages:

  • Recognizing and acknowledging the trauma and its impact on your thoughts and behaviors.
  • Identifying automatic negative thoughts or distortions.
  • Challenging these thoughts and learning how to develop more balanced, constructive beliefs.
  • Gradually processing the trauma, reducing the emotional intensity associated with it.

Who Can Benefit from CPT?

CPT is particularly effective for individuals suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but it can also be beneficial for anyone who has experienced significant trauma. CPT is typically used to treat veterans, survivors of abuse, assault, or accidents, and others who struggle with trauma-related symptoms such as flashbacks, anxiety, depression, or feelings of helplessness.

What to Expect During CPT Sessions

Sessions usually involve a combination of discussing the traumatic event, identifying distorted thinking, and completing homework assignments designed to help you apply the concepts of CPT to everyday life. CPT is typically structured over 12 sessions, but this can vary depending on individual needs.

Benefits of CPT

By focusing on the relationship between trauma and thoughts, CPT can help:

  • Reduce the symptoms of PTSD.
  • Improve emotional regulation.
  • Promote healthier thought patterns and behaviors.
  • Enhance the overall quality of life.

Is CPT Right for You?

If you or someone you love has experienced trauma and are struggling with negative emotions or disruptive behaviors, CPT may be an effective treatment option. Consulting with a qualified therapist can help determine if CPT is the best approach for your healing journey.

Therapists in Brighton & Hove

Browse our verified therapists — many work across a range of approaches and may be able to help.

Andy Wolage Brighton

Andy Wolage

Therapeutic Counsellor

Sometimes life is really hard. Everything feels like too much. We can get overwhelmed with guilt for not coping, shame for having failed in the past and sometimes we can end up not really liking ourselves very much. We might self medicate with substances or other behaviours which we know don't really help, but they seem better than nothing. But they just perpetuate the cycle. I can offer you a safe, non-judgemental and confidential space to organise and reframe those overwhelming feelings and see the wood for the trees. I can help you understand yourself better and to begin to look in the mirror and like what you see. 

BACPRegisteredNCPSAccredited
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Joanna Miller Brighton

Joanna Miller

Integrative Psychotherapist

I’m an accredited psychotherapist with 15 years experience.I believe that the counselling relationship should be a creative space for both parties. It should feel comfortable and open enough to be free from anxiety and pressure in which new perspectives can emerge. In my view most mental activity takes place below the level of conscious awareness and my role is to help people gain access to it and insights from it.As an accredited therapist I am affiliated with several private healthcare companies including BUPA and AXA. I have an up-to-date DBS certificate which is registered on the update service. As well as working with individual adults, including trainee therapists, I have many years' experience working with children, couples and families. I have been a university counsellor so have a lot of experience working with students and young people and have also worked in secondary schools.  

BACPAccredited
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Alan Sparkes Hove

Alan Sparkes

Psychotherapist & Counsellor

I am a qualified UKCP registered Psychotherapist. I aim to help people heal and integrate. I’m a parent, a skateboarder, a basketball player and I’ve done a lot of therapy.I don't do psychic amputation. I believe you can't cut off a part of yourself you don’t like or that causes you pain - and that you will run into more problems if you try. I do believe you can reach into your heart and soul through therapy and establish a healing relationship that will give you the resources you need to live well and fully.  

BACPRegisteredUKCPAccredited
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Paul Chantry Brighton, Hove

Paul Chantry

Integrative Counsellor MBACP

We often think that we can manage on our own, but there comes a point when we need to reach out and seek support. Perhaps you are feeling anxious or depressed? Maybe you are finding life overwhelming or have a sense of sadness, hopelessness and despair? Or maybe you are feeling angry and frustrated? If you are experiencing any of these emotions then counselling can really help you to make sense of things, better understand yourself, and overcome the issues which are causing you distress. I am a qualified counsellor and member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and I have experience of helping people who suffer with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, low self-esteem, childhood trauma, self-harm, relationship and family conflict.  If you’ve never had counselling before then finding the right therapist can be confusing and intimidating, so it’s important that you take time to find the right therapist for you. Please don't hesitate to contact me for a free initial telephone consultation so that I can find out a bit more about what's troubling you and we can explore how I can help.

BACPRegistered
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Cerrie Lantrua Brighton

Cerrie Lantrua

Counsellor

Clients often tell me how much they value having a space where they feel understood, where they don’t have to explain their neurodivergence or justify their experiences.I am neurodivergent myself, and I’m open about that. It’s not something I see as a limitation, but as something that shapes how I understand, relate, and connect. Alongside my training and experience, this gives me a way of seeing things that often helps clients feel recognised in ways they may not have experienced before.I’m naturally creative and tend to think outside the box, which allows me to consider different perspectives and gently step into what it might be like to be you, not from a place of judgement, but from a genuine willingness to understand.At the same time, I don’t assume your experience is the same as anyone else’s. No two people are the same. A big part of what I offer is taking the time to learn what you need, how you experience things, and what support feels right for you.You are the expert on yourself. My role isn’t to tell you what to do or who to be, but to walk alongside you as you begin to understand yourself more fully.I aim to create a space where you feel safe enough to be real. Where you don’t have to mask, filter, or find the “right” way to say things. A space where you can feel seen, heard, and genuinely understood. 

BACPRegistered
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Thaddeus Hickman Brighton

Thaddeus Hickman

Psychotherapist

I’m an experienced, integrative psychotherapist, registered with both UKCP and BACP. I work with clients to support their immediate struggles, while also helping them understand and identify underlying and often unseen issues - a process which often leads to positive and lasting change.

BACPRegisteredUKCPRegistered
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