CPT Group Therapy in Columbia, MO
Based on Cognitive Processing Therapy (PTSD Group Therapy)
You’re tired of thinking about what happened.
Maybe, you Feel Stuck, unsafe, have low self-esteem?
Perhaps it is affecting your ability to connect in your relationships
One minute you’re angry and the next you’re ashamed.
Now all you experience is trouble sleeping, constantly avoiding reminders of what happened & wondering if you’ll ever feel safe again.
Something needs to change. You’re ready to start healing!
Many individuals deal with trauma and PTSD day-to-day. Trauma has a deeply negative impact on us, especially when we have not processed what happened. Perhaps, you’re feeling a sense of hopelessness, sadness, fear, lack of focus, flashbacks, or loss of control.
What we often do not consider is how impactful trauma is whether acute or chronic. Our brain structure changes regardless of the trauma. This is what begins to lead individuals to isolation, avoidance, anxiety, and depression as a result.
At Aspire Counseling, our therapists specialize in treating PTSD. In fact, all of our therapists are trained in at least one evidence-based treatment for PTSD. Why? Because we believe that you deserve to feel better. We know that healing is possible. We’ve seen people with the absolute worst cases of PTSD find true healing and start getting better through the use of evidence-based treatment.
You’re frustrated by the process of looking for a trauma therapist.
Our team of therapists knows that it’s hard to find a competent trauma therapist right now. As a counseling practice that specializes in trauma therapy, we get more calls every single week than we have openings. Our team hears the frustration of people who have called therapist after therapist only to constantly hear that they are full. Even if you find an opening, many therapists (like ours) don’t accept insurance and paying for individual trauma therapy can get really expensive. All of this has been so incredibly discouraging after you’ve spent so long working up the courage to finally face the trauma that’s holding you back.
We hear you. And we want to help. So, we decided it was time to offer group PTSD treatment. This will allow us to help more people, at a lower cost, faster. Cognitive Processing Therapy is an evidence-based treatment for PTSD and trauma. In other words, it works. It really works.
What is Cognitive Processing?
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a cognitive-behavioral treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related problems. At Aspire Counseling, our therapists value evidence-based treatments, and this is a great one for individuals with PTSD or who are struggling with trauma symptoms. It can be delivered in a group or individual setting.
If you have experienced work-related trauma such as being a first responder, veteran, or a helping professional ( counseling, medicine), or experienced physical, sexual assault, or sexual abuse, and major life-threatening accidents. CPT could be helpful for you.
About the Group Facilitators
Our therapists have been offering CPT one on one through individual counseling for years with great success! Offering CPT in a group setting is new to our practice, but a ton of research has been done showing that it’s incredibly effective. So, we’re having two of our most experienced trauma therapists lead this initial CPT group.
For this first round, two of our most experienced trauma therapists are going to co-lead the group. Both have years of experience treating trauma. Both have been through multiple days of training around CPT, read books, read the research, and participated in countless consultation sessions. Furthermore, both facilitators have helped multiple clients work through CPT on the individual level. So, now they’re going to bring that combined experience to the table to offer this really effective treatment in a group form.
What Can I Expect from CPT Group Therapy?
Our goal for you in CPT group therapy in Columbia, MO is to improve your symptoms and experience with trauma and PTSD. We want to help you reduce your anxiety, shame, guilt, and depression in order to live a life that is more full.
Sessions and Group Topics
CPT Group Therapy in Columbia, MO consists of 14 small group sessions. Each session lasts 50–60 minutes.
Introduction
Education
The Meaning of the Event
Identification of Thoughts and Feelings
Remembering Traumatic Events
Second Trauma Account
Challenging Questions
Patterns of Problematic Thinking
Safety Issues
Trust Issues
Power/Control Issues
Esteem Issues
Intimacy Issues and Meaning of the Event
Termination
What Do I Need to Do To Get The Most Out of CPT Group Therapy
In order for CPT to be most effective, it’s important that you’re ready to commit to a group setting. It may feel weird being a part of a group, but developing a sense of healing with a community can be helpful. That means showing up, participating, and doing the homework. The assignments are made to help you manage and work through trauma and PTSD more quickly.
Benefits of Group Trauma Therapy
Not everyone is excited about the idea of participating in a therapeutic group. But, there can be some huge benefits. That is why we’re offering this as an option. Because we believe in the power of CPT Groups to treat PTSD. Here are some of the unique benefits of participating in a Cognitive Processing Therapy group:
It can feel validating to realize other people have had a similar reaction to a traumatic experience that you have.
This treatment focuses heavily on exploring how you think about your trauma and the world around you. Hearing how other people think about those same things can give you new perspectives-sometimes new ways of looking at something that any individual therapist may not have ever thought to bring up!
It can help you remain committed to your own mental health journey as you see the commitment of other group members.
Group therapy generally saves significant money over attending individual therapy. Even if you’re seeing an individual therapist at the same time, attending this group may reduce the amount of time you need to be in individual therapy for your PTSD.
If you’re ready to make a full commitment to attending all sessions, then you’re a great fit for this group! Essentially, this form of group-based treatment is most effective if you’re willing to go all in and show up as you are. If this sounds like you, we’d be happy to have you!
Does this Replace Individual Trauma Therapy?
Yes and No. CPT delivered in a group format can be an effective treatment on its own. But we often find there’s a little residual work to be done. So, this can absolutely be done while you’re attending individual therapy or before seeing an individual therapist. It can be helpful to process insights you have or your response to our group sessions in your individual sessions. Or, you may choose to go through this group and then follow up with an individual therapist.
If you already have an individual therapist in Missouri-great! Feel free to keep seeing them throughout this group to continue doing even deeper work.
Don’t have a therapist yet? You’re still welcome! We anticipate some people will participate in this group while on the waitlist to begin working with an individual therapist.
You’re right for CPT if you have experienced:
One traumatic event or many
PTSD symptoms on a regular basis
General therapy that has not worked
This is not the right group for you if:
If you’re an immediate danger to yourself or others
You’re currently experiencing symptoms of psychosis
You can’t commit to attending all of the group sessions
Our goal for you with CPT Group Therapy
After our CPT group therapy in Columbia, MO, the therapists at Aspire Counseling hope to help you understand and change the negative thoughts you have had since the traumatic event. The objective is to help you change your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We know that teaching you new ways of processing and coping with trauma matters. Our therapists also hope to help challenge beliefs and thoughts related to the trauma. We hope to help you learn to cope, live, and experience a new normal that propels you forward. If this CPT group therapy sounds like it would be helpful to you, get in touch!
CPT Group Therapy Details
When: Mondays & Wednesdays
Time: 6:30-7:45
Starting June 8th for 8 weeks taking off the week of July 4th.
Cost: $550
*We’re hoping to offer a very limited number of reduced rate spots, so if cost is keeping you from starting please still reach out to us.
Capacity: 4-8 Participants
More About Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is often the first treatment our therapists will use with survivors of sexual assault or rape, particularly if the trauma was recent. CPT was developed by Dr. Patricia Resick beginning in the late 1980s when she lived in St. Louis and worked at Washington University for the treatment of PTSD in survivors of sexual violence. Since then, Dr. Resick’s team has grown and done wonderful research on the effectiveness of CPT including comparing it to other forms of trauma treatment. The official CPT website explains that Cognitive Processing Therapy, “has been shown to be effective in reducing PTSD symptoms related to a variety of traumatic events including child abuse, combat, rape, and natural disasters”.
CPT is endorsed by the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, as well as the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, as a best practice for the treatment of PTSD.”This treatment focuses heavily on looking at beliefs a person has developed about their trauma and the world around them helping survivors examine those beliefs to identify which are helpful and which can be reframed”. It is well researched.
Covid Precautions
In this day and age, we have to bring this up when we’re talking about leading a group. Closer to the time we offer the group we’ll let participants know exactly what precautions we will be taking based on the current local situation. But please be prepared that we may require proof of vaccination and/or masks in order to make sure the group space can feel safe for all participants.
While we plan to hold the group in person, we understand that covid quarantines or isolations may happen. If you’re unable to attend a limited number of group sessions, you will have the ability to join via Zoom.
Join our CPT Group PTSD Treatment in Columbia, Missouri
1.
Let us know you’re interested in filling out the form below.
2.
15-minute screening call with a group leader & make sure it’s a good fit.
3.
Join us on the first day of the group & living life more fully again!
The road to healing starts here.
Not sure you’re ready for a CPT trauma therapy group yet? Browse these blog posts related to Trauma & PTSD.
Because trauma therapy is one of our specialties as Aspire Counseling, we frequently write blog posts related to PTSD, trauma, or extreme stress. Here are just a few blog posts from our trauma therapists!
Other Mental Health Services
We know life is complicated and you may be struggling with more than one issue. In fact, people who have been through trauma very often have other mental health concerns as well. Because each therapist at Aspire Counseling specializes in something slightly different, we’re able to offer a wide range of mental health services at our office in Columbia or online anywhere in Missouri.