Trauma Therapy & PTSD Treatment
Do you ever feel like you're walking on eggshells, constantly on edge or waiting for something bad to happen?
Do you struggle with intense feelings like anger, sadness, or fear that seem to come out of nowhere? Or maybe you feel numb or detached from your feelings, like you're just going through the motions?
Do you avoid certain places, people, or activities because they remind you of a traumatic event?
If any of these questions resonate with you, you're not alone. We can help. Contact us today for a free consultation call.
We specialize in helping people heal from trauma, guiding you through the process with approaches that have been shown to work for many people dealing with trauma and PTSD. We invite you to reach out today to set up an appointment or a free consultation call:
Our Philosophy
You didn’t choose to experience the trauma you survived; we believe it’s important you have a choice in how you heal from it. Below are 2 evidence-based* approaches that we offer, so you can learn more about them and think about which seems like a good fit for you.
*Evidence-based practice means combining the best-available treatments according to the research, with each individual’s preferences and unique circumstances in mind. Simply put, these are the therapy styles that have been shown to WORK for thousands of people dealing with trauma and PTSD, so you can be confident in the choice you’ve made to get support.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
This approach is a specific type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that helps you identify and adapt unhelpful beliefs related to the trauma (such as excessive self-blame), and create a new understanding of what happened. It includes educational information about thoughts, feelings, and cognitions, an optional written narrative approach to processing the trauma itself, and thematic modules to help you explore and lessen the way trauma has impacted various aspects of life (for example, sense of safety, trust issues, power/control, etc.).
Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
This treatment combines exposure therapy with emotional processing theory to help reduce PTSD symptoms. It involves verbal processing of the trauma as well as a component of systematically reducing sensitivity to triggers or reminders of the trauma. This can lead to great relief in daily life when you encounter a trauma reminder.
What does the research say?
In a study of over 100 people with chronic PTSD, approximately 80% who completed CPT or PE experienced such improvement that they no longer met criteria for PTSD by the end of treatment. These improvements were maintained when measured again 9 months later.
Furthermore, a long-term study found that after CPT or PE, improvements in PTSD symptoms were maintained when assessed again 5-10 years later. Additionally, overall functioning had also continued to improve (including social/leisure functioning, family adjustment, economic functioning, depressive symptoms).
There are also meta-analytic reviews of several randomized, controlled studies comparing CPT and PE with control groups, which found significantly improved PTSD symptoms after treatment, with large effect sizes, often regardless of time since trauma or type of trauma experienced.
References
Resick, P. A., Nishith, P., Weaver, T. L., Astin, M. C., & Feuer, C. A. (2002). A comparison of cognitive-processing therapy with prolonged exposure and a waiting condition for the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder in female rape victims. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70(4), 867–879. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.70.4.867
Wachen, J. S., Jimenez, S., Smith, K., & Resick, P. A. (2014). Long-term functional outcomes of women receiving cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 6(Suppl 1), S58–S65. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035741
Asmundson, G. J. G., Thorisdottir, A. S., Roden-Foreman, J. W., Baird, S. O., Witcraft, S. M., Stein, A. T., Smits, J. A. J., & Powers, M. B. (2019). A meta-analytic review of cognitive processing therapy for adults with posttraumatic stress disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 48(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2018.1522371
Powers, M. B., Halpern, J. M., Ferenschak, M. P., Gillihan, S. J., & Foa, E. B. (2010). A meta-analytic review of prolonged exposure for posttraumatic stress disorder. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(6), 635–641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.04.007