Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET)

What is Prolonged Exposure Therapy?

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET) is a cognitive-behavioral treatment specifically designed to help individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It focuses on helping people confront traumatic memories and feelings, reducing their emotional impact over time. PET is highly effective for individuals who have experienced trauma, from combat veterans to survivors of accidents or abuse.

How Does Prolonged Exposure Therapy Work?

In PET, the therapist guides the individual through repeated, controlled exposure to the trauma memory in a safe and therapeutic setting. The process involves two main components:

  • Imaginal exposure: This involves recalling the traumatic event in detail during the therapy session. The person is encouraged to describe the event and their feelings as vividly as possible.
  • In vivo exposure: The person confronts places, people, or situations that they have been avoiding due to the trauma. This is done in a gradual, controlled way to reduce fear and avoidance behaviors.

The Benefits of Prolonged Exposure Therapy

  • Reduces PTSD symptoms like flashbacks and nightmares
  • Helps people regain control over their lives
  • Decreases avoidance behaviors and anxiety
  • Improves emotional regulation and processing of traumatic memories
  • Builds resilience and coping strategies for future stressors

Who Can Benefit from PET?

Prolonged exposure therapy is particularly effective for individuals with PTSD or those who have experienced a single or repeated traumatic event. It can also benefit people dealing with severe anxiety disorders and phobias, especially when avoidance has become a dominant coping strategy.

Is Prolonged Exposure Therapy Right for You?

If you are struggling with the aftermath of trauma and feel that avoidance is interfering with your daily life, prolonged exposure therapy may be a suitable option. However, it is crucial to work with a licensed therapist trained in PET techniques, ensuring the process is conducted in a supportive and structured environment.

Therapists in Brighton & Hove

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

Joana Miranda Brighton

Joana Miranda

Psychotherapeutic Counsellor

I believe that feeling genuinely heard, understood, and accepted can be an important part of the therapeutic process. I aim to create a warm, compassionate, and non-judgmental space where you can feel safe to explore whatever may be bringing you to counselling.I know that reaching out for support can feel daunting, so I strive to make our sessions feel welcoming and comfortable. You don't need to have everything figured out before you come to counselling. We can take things at your pace and explore what feels most important to you.I am naturally a good listener and bring empathy, curiosity, and openness to my work. My aim is to support you in developing a better understanding of yourself, your experiences, and the patterns that may be affecting your wellbeing and relationships.

NCPSAccredited

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

Gabrielle Lake Mitchell Brighton

Gabrielle Lake Mitchell

Integrative Counsellor

Thinking about starting counselling and looking for a counsellor, can feel daunting. So I warmly welcome you to my profile and hope that you get in touch to see if I am the right counsellor for you. There are many reasons why people seek counselling. Perhaps you are feeling lonely or disconnected from the people around you? Perhaps you would like to talk to someone about making changes in your life? Maybe you are feeling stuck, anxious or depressed, and would like a little extra support to help you through a difficult time? Perhaps you can't quite put your finger on what is wrong, and would like somewhere to express yourself and make sense of your thoughts and feelings?Whatever brings you to counselling, I will endeavour to offer you a confidential and safe space, where you can talk and explore all of your thoughts and feelings, and express them freely without judgement or opinion. Counselling can be useful in helping you to gain insight and a fresh perspective. It can help you to gain understanding about yourself and others, or help to make sense of a problematic situation. It can help you move towards acceptance, emotional freedom and healthy psychological growth.

BACPRegistered

Tony Austin Brighton

Tony Austin

Integrative psychotherapist

Common feelings such as anxiety, a lack of self-worth or sadness colour our experience and often leave us feeling we have lost our way. Sometimes we can feel like our own worst enemy, giving ourselves a hard time because others can manage, so why can’t I?I chose to train as a psychotherapist after being in therapy myself. Through the process of talking with a skilled therapist I was able to reflect on how my past had shaped my present, understand myself better, value myself more and create a happier, more fulfilled life and I want to help others do the same. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than having a client say they feel “unburdened” at the end of a session or, at their final session, seeing them leave with greater confidence ready to make the changes necessary to create the life they want.After completing my training as a counsellor at Lambeth College, I worked for an NHS counselling service in West London. I helped many clients dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship breakdown and many other common issues and seeing so many people find positive solutions fuelled my passion for therapy and I would like to help you.  I believe everyone deserves to be heard and with the right support can create positive, lasting change. Through our work together, I can help you reduce anxiety, rebuild your confidence, learn how to recognise unhelpful habits such as “people pleasing”, or “self-sabotage” and create better relationships with yourself and others.If you want to learn more about how counselling can help you, get in touch through the link at the bottom of this page and take the first step to happier, more fulfilling life.

BACPAccredited

Ayesha Daly Brighton

Ayesha Daly

Humanistic Integrative Counsellor

​I am an experienced Humanistic counsellor practising in Lewes and Brighton, East Sussex and believe everyone has the capacity to heal and move forward. I understand how difficult starting counselling can be and will hope to answer any queries you have. For me therapy has been incredibly important, healing and rewarding. As a counsellor I hope to offer you what I have gained.

BACPAccredited

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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