Cognitive processing therapy is an effective approach to reducing PTSD symptoms related to a variety of traumatic events, including child abuse, combat, rape, and natural disasters.

Guest therapist Patricia A. Resick, PhD, ABPP, developed cognitive processing therapy to provide a clear, teachable method for working with clients who have experienced trauma, and the approach has since been endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, and most recently, by APA in its Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

In this video, Dr. Resick discusses her approach with a panel of mental health practitioners, then demonstrates cognitive processing therapy with a client who has experienced significant trauma and now has symptoms of PTSD.

This session features a client portrayed by an actor on the basis of a composite of different cases.