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.

Sharon Twomey Brighton

Sharon Twomey

Psychotherapeutic counsellor

I’m Sharon, a qualified psychotherapeutic counsellor offering short and long term therapy across Brighton and Hove both in person and online. My work is trauma-informed and rooted in compassion, supporting adults facing challenges such as anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, stress, and relational difficulties.My approach is deeply empathic and nurturing, blending warmth with thoughtful challenge. I offer a confidential space where you can feel held with care as you reflect, engage with difficult emotions, and begin the journey toward meaningful and lasting change.


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

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

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

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

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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