Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive Manual (Resick, Monson, Chard)

The Gap This Book Fills

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects millions of individuals worldwide, often leaving clinicians searching for a structured, evidence-based treatment protocol that produces lasting results. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is one of the most rigorously studied and widely adopted therapies for PTSD, yet until this manual, no single resource provided the complete, session-by-session guidance needed to deliver CPT with fidelity. This book fills that critical gap, offering a turnkey solution for mental health professionals who want to help patients recover from trauma using a proven cognitive-behavioral framework.

Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive Manual (Resick, Monson, Chard) at a Glance

Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive Manual is the definitive clinician’s guide to implementing CPT, developed by the therapy’s co-creator, Patricia A. Resick, along with leading experts Candice M. Monson and Kathleen M. Chard. Published by The Guilford Press in 2017, this manual provides a complete treatment protocol that has been validated in dozens of clinical trials. The book covers the theoretical foundations of CPT, step-by-step session outlines, patient handouts, and strategies for handling common clinical challenges.

CPT is a specific type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that targets the maladaptive beliefs and stuck points that develop after trauma. Unlike generic CBT approaches, CPT offers a structured 12-session protocol that helps patients reframe their understanding of the trauma and reduce PTSD symptoms. This manual is the authoritative source for learning and delivering CPT correctly.

Who Is This Book For?

This manual is designed for licensed mental health professionals—psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and marriage and family therapists—who treat trauma survivors. It is equally valuable for graduate students in clinical psychology, social work, or counseling programs who are training in evidence-based trauma treatments. Researchers studying PTSD treatment outcomes will also find the manual essential for ensuring treatment fidelity in clinical trials. The book assumes a foundational knowledge of CBT principles, but the step-by-step format makes it accessible even to clinicians new to trauma-focused therapy.

Key Takeaways

• The complete 12-session CPT protocol with detailed session agendas, scripts, and timing recommendations.
• How to assess and prepare patients for CPT, including trauma history screening and psychoeducation.
• The role of stuck points in maintaining PTSD and techniques for helping patients identify and challenge them.
• How to use the CPT Patient Workbook (included as reproducible handouts) to structure between-session practice.
• Strategies for adapting CPT for diverse populations, including military veterans, sexual assault survivors, and refugees.
• How to manage common clinical challenges such as dissociation, avoidance, and comorbid depression.
• Methods for evaluating treatment progress using validated outcome measures like the PCL-5.
• How to handle termination and relapse prevention to maintain long-term gains.

Why Choose This Edition

While other PTSD treatment manuals exist—such as Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy manuals or generic CBT for trauma books—this CPT manual stands apart for several reasons. First, it is authored by the originators of CPT, ensuring that the protocol is presented with unmatched authority and accuracy. Second, the manual includes reproducible patient handouts and worksheets that save clinicians hours of preparation time. Third, the session-by-session structure is more detailed than any competing resource, with explicit scripts for introducing concepts like the A-B-C worksheet and the challenging beliefs exercise. Fourth, the book integrates the latest research on CPT’s effectiveness across trauma types, including combat, sexual assault, and childhood abuse. Finally, no other single volume provides both the theoretical rationale and the practical tools needed to implement CPT with fidelity.

About the Author

Patricia A. Resick, PhD, is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center and the co-developer of CPT. She has spent decades refining the therapy and has authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles on trauma treatment. Candice M. Monson, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Ryerson University and a leading researcher on CPT for military populations. Kathleen M. Chard, PhD, is the director of the PTSD Clinical Team at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center and has implemented CPT across the Veterans Health Administration. The Guilford Press is a highly respected academic publisher known for producing gold-standard mental health resources. This combination of author expertise and publisher reputation makes this manual the most trusted source for CPT training and delivery.

Our Verdict

For any clinician committed to providing evidence-based trauma treatment, this manual is not just worth it—it is indispensable. The cost of the book is a fraction of the price of a single CPT training workshop, and it provides a lifetime of clinical reference. The reproducible handouts alone save countless hours of material creation. The manual’s clear structure reduces the learning curve for new CPT practitioners and ensures that experienced clinicians maintain fidelity to the protocol. With hundreds of studies supporting CPT’s efficacy, investing in this manual is an investment in better patient outcomes. The 2017 edition remains fully current, as CPT’s core principles have not changed—the manual is still the standard for CPT delivery.

Add Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive Manual (Resick, Monson, Chard) to Your Library

Whether you are a seasoned trauma therapist or a student building your clinical toolkit, this manual will give you the confidence and competence to deliver CPT effectively. Add to cart now and start transforming the lives of trauma survivors with the most evidence-based PTSD treatment available. Published by The Guilford Press, this is the definitive resource you will turn to session after session.