Blue overlay on image of Dr. Katy Dondanville presenting at the combat PTSD Conference.

CPT Learning Community

↓ Click through the tabs below for details about this Learning Community, including important dates!

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a cognitive behavioral therapy for PTSD in which therapists help clients recognize and examine the thoughts getting in the way of trauma recovery (referred to as “stuck points”) using Socratic questioning and a progressive series of worksheets. CPT is a variable-length treatment that is typically about 12 sessions. CPT is one of the most widely studied treatments for PTSD and is recommended as a firstline treatment in clinical practice guidelines.

Watch Now

Overview of Cognitive Processing Therapy.

Our CPT Learning Community features best practices for provider training. Go beyond treatment basics and build competency in the treatment with expert-facilitated consultation calls and practice sessions and access to our unique Provider Portal. Click here to learn more about our Learning Community training approach.

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STRONG STAR Training Initiative Faculty describe what to expect with our Learning Communities.

Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, eligible providers may join our Learning Community and gain access to these resources for a reduced cost of $350 per provider.

CPT Learning Community Timeline

components of the learning community model are depicted as squares in a timeline.

When am I considered “certified”?

Certification is a legal term that involves an external certifying body. Currently, there is no certification available for CPT, PE, or WET. However, all licensed clinicians can attain Network Provider Status. This designation signifies your expertise in delivering these treatments.

To achieve Network Provider Status, you must meet the following requirements:

    1. Licensed mental health provider
    2. Full attendance at the foundational workshop
    3. Attendance at consultation calls (Minimum of 15 for CPT)
    4. Completion of two cases during the consultation period that have been approved by the consultant as being delivered with adherence to the protocol

Pre-Work

Learning Community Pre-Work prepares you to successfully embark on CPT training. Providers who complete these steps get more out of the foundational workshop and are more prepared to hit the ground running in consultation and achieve CPT Provider Status.

  1. Read the CPT Therapist Manual
    Purchase of the CPT manual is a necessary supplement to the training. The CPT manual is available online via Guilford Press and Amazon.com: Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive Therapist Manual Second Edition
    Authors: Patricia Resick, Candice Monson, and Kathleen Chard
    ISBN-13: 978-1462554270, ISBN-10: 146255427X
  2. Read the article, Clinician Concerns About Cognitive Processing Therapy: A Review of the Evidence found on ScienceDirect.com 
  3. Identify CPT Cases
    Begin assessing clients for PTSD and identifying potential CPT cases to bring to consultation

Recommended Resources:

Authors: Tara Galovski PhD, Reginald D.V. Nixon BA M.Psych PhD, Debra Kaysen MA PhD

ISBN-10: 0128167157   ISBN-13: 978-0128167151

  • Military Culture Training: Psycharmor has excellent trainings in various aspects of military culture. We encourage you to take several courses to increase your competency if you will be working with veterans or service members. Most trainings are between 10-60 minutes.

Assessment Webinar

In this didactic, live webinar, learn how to screen and assess for PTSD, identify appropriate cases for PTSD treatment, engage in shared decision-making about evidence-based treatment options, and help clients identify an index trauma to begin treatment.

Foundational CPT Workshop

The 2-day, live workshop, facilitated by expert trainers, will provide foundational knowledge in delivery of CPT. The workshop includes didactic content, video demonstrations, and experiential practice in core elements of CPT. The trainers will walk you through treatment session-by-session, and you’ll practice identifying and exploring “stuck points” preventing trauma recovery. Following the workshop, you will be ready to begin delivering CPT to clients.

Weekly Consultation Calls

Consultation is where most of your learning in the treatment will occur. Consultation builds off of the foundational training and is where you apply CPT to your clients with the support and guidance of a CPT expert consultant. These live, weekly, Zoom-based, small group video calls will provide an opportunity to learn how to deliver CPT to your cases with fidelity to maximize effectiveness, and learn from the cases of your peers as well. Your consultant will track your cases along with you and provide feedback and suggestions to get the most out of CPT. Consultation occurs weekly for 8 months.

Skills Labs

Skills Labs are facilitated, experiential practice sessions to help you hone your skills related to PTSD assessment and treatment. Each Skills Lab includes a brief didactic overview of the specific topic and then opportunities to practice core skills in breakout groups. Some Skills Labs focus on key pre-treatment tasks like identifying and discussing which traumatic event will be the focus of treatment or practicing introducing treatment options and engaging in shared decision-making. Other Skills Labs are treatment specific, such as reviewing ABC worksheets and beginning Socratic questioning on the trauma in CPT.

Provider Portal

As part of the Learning Community, you will have 1-year access to our unique Provider Portal that houses a host of resources to support your training including expert demonstrations, webinars (many of which include free CE credits), and patient handouts and assessment measures. Resources are available both to support delivery of CPT as well as to support assessment for PTSD. In addition to these resources, the portal is where you and your consultant will track your CPT patient data. The portal provides helpful tools like graphs of your patients’ scores over time, session fidelity checklists, and note templates.

Continuing Education

Attendees are eligible to receive Continuing Education (CE) Credits for participating in the Assessment Webinar, Foundational Workshop, and Skills Labs. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio maintains responsibility for this program and its content. APA continuing education credits have historically been recognized by most professional state licensing boards. Please check with your licensing board for verification.

To obtain CE Credits, attendees must sign in at the start of the course and sign out after its conclusion. Inquiries regarding CE may be directed via email to admin@strongstartraining.org.

CPT Fall 2024 Dates

Click event titles for detailed course information.

(All times are in Central Time)

September 18, 2024 (or while seats remain) Registration closes
September 25, 2024, 11am-1pm CT PTSD Assessment and Engagement Webinar
October 2-3, 2024, 9am-5pm CT CPT Foundational Workshop
Week of October 7, 2024 Weekly Consultation Calls Begin
October 10, 2024, 12-1pm CT Skills Lab: Pinpointing the Criterion A Event in PTSD Treatment: Where to Get started
October 17, 2024, 12-1pm CT Skills Lab: Delivering Psychoeducation in CPT
October 24, 2024, 12-1pm CT Skills Lab: Empowering Informed Choices: Introducing PTSD Treatment Options Through Shared Decision-Making
October 31, 2024, 12-1pm CT Skills Lab: Using the Impact Statement and Socratic Questioning to Develop a Stuck Point Log
November 7, 2024, 12-1pm CT Skills Lab: Enhancing Proficiency in Assessing Race-Based and Discrimination-Related Trauma During PTSD Treatment
November 21, 2024, 12-1pm CT Skills Lab: Reviewing ABC Worksheets and Beginning to Explore Stuck Points
Week of May 26, 2025 Consultation Calls End

CPT Spring 2025 Dates

Click event titles for detailed course information.

(All times are in Central Time)

March 19, 2025 (or while seats remain) Registration closes
Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 10am-12pm CT PTSD Assessment and Engagement Webinar
Thursday, March 27, 2025, 12-1pm CT Skills Lab: Empowering Informed Choices: Introducing PTSD Treatment Options through the Shared Decision Making Model
April 2-3, 2025, 9am-5pm CT CPT Foundational Workshop
Week of April 7, 2025 Weekly Consultation Calls Begin
April 17, 2025, 12-1pm CT Skills Lab: Pinpointing the Criterion A Event in PTSD treatment: Where to get started 
April 24, 2025, 12-1pm CT CPT Skills Lab 1: Delivering Psychoeducation
May 1, 2025, 12-1pm CT CPT Skills Lab 2: Using the Impact Statement and Socratic Questioning to Develop a Stuck Point Log
May 8, 2025, 10-11am CT Skills Lab: Enhancing Proficiency in Assessing Race-Based and Discrimination-Related Trauma during PTSD Treatment
May 15, 2025, 12-1pm CT CPT Skills Lab 3: Reviewing ABC Worksheets and Beginning to Explore Stuck Points
Last week of November Consultation Ends

Who is eligible to participate in a Learning Community?

Thanks to the generous support of our funders, the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the Gavin Farrell Foundation, we are pleased to include a range of mental health providers in our training program. We have a limited number of seats available for:

• Veteran-serving community mental health providers
• Community mental health providers serving civilians
• Students (see more information in FAQ below)

Email us at admin@strongstartraining.org if you have questions about your eligibility.

Are the Learning Communities only for providers treating veterans? Is it only for providers in Texas?

No, all licensed mental health providers are encouraged to apply. While the STRONG STAR Training Initiative began with the purpose of supporting veteran-serving providers in Texas, we have greatly expanded our reach and now train an international audience of mental health providers who serve a range of patients. Improving access to quality treatment for PTSD for veterans is still a core value of ours, and we are pleased to now accommodate other providers in our training programs.

Is a Learning Community right for me?

A Learning Community is a more intensive training model that goes beyond the foundational workshop and includes advanced training to help you build proficiency in the treatment. This training approach is more time-intensive. This is a great option for you if you are interested in attending weekly consultation, getting expert feedback on your cases, tracking your patient outcomes, honing your skills with facilitated practice sessions, and working towards Provider Status in the treatment.

Click here to learn more about Learning Community training model.

Do I have to participate in all Learning Community events?

The Learning Community was designed to facilitate the development of competency in the core elements of treatment to increase your effectiveness with your patients. Therefore, we invite you to participate in all Learning Community elements. Consistent attendance at consultation calls is particularly important to training. If you are not interested in consultation or earning Provider Status, there are other training programs in the community offering the workshop only.

How does consultation work?

Consultation is where you receive feedback and support as you apply the skills learned in the workshop to your real-life practice. As part of our learning community, you’ll select a weekly meeting time to join a small group of your fellow cohort members for a virtual consultation call with a treatment expert.

When you enroll, we’ll offer several times for your weekly consultation call, typically within the hours of 8 AM–5 PM (Monday–Friday). Please check to make sure you have flexibility in your schedule, as we are limited on the range of calls we can create.

Note: You can only join consultation groups tied to your Learning Community. For example, if your 2-day workshop is on October 2-3, you must join one of the consultation groups that start immediately after those dates. Delayed consultation is not allowed.

What if I can’t attend the whole workshop?

The foundational workshop is a critical component of training in this treatment model. Therefore, if you cannot attend the whole workshop, we suggest waiting for a future Learning Community that works better for your schedule.

How do I achieve Provider Status?

Achievement of Provider Status indicates the successful completion of competency-based training in an evidence-based treatment model. The requirements for Provider Status are:

    • Completion of the foundational workshop
    • Participation in consultation (at least 12 calls for WET; at least 15 calls for PE and CPT)
    • Completion of two cases approved by your consultant as having been delivered with fidelity to the treatment model

Are the workshops or other Learning Community events recorded?

Our workshops are not recorded, so please plan to attend the event live for the full duration.

Do I need to come in person?

Our training program is fully virtual!

Do you do private trainings for organizations?

Yes, we are happy to discuss a contract for training outside of our Learning Communities. Please email admin@strongstartraining.org to inquire.

Can students attend training?

Yes! We are happy to include student learners in our trainings. We consider students to be any supervised clinical trainee, such as graduate students, interns, residents, post-doctoral fellows, and other pre-licensure practitioners. Please note that we have multiple training options, so please be sure to select the one that best matches your (or your trainee’s) needs.

Summer Student CPT Workshop

Each Summer, we hold a Student Workshop for Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). This workshop is the standard 2-day workshop. Students also receive access to our Provider Portal, which includes many resources to support learning and practice of CPT. Thanks to the generous support of our funders, we are able to offer this training at a cost of $50 per student.

Student Seats in Other Workshops

We also have seats available in our other Learning Community workshops for students, including our Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Written Exposure Therapy (WET) workshops, as well as our other seasonal CPT workshops. In most cases, students select the student training option. However, if a student will have a steady clinical placement for the following 6 months, will be working with patients with PTSD, and expects to be able to deliver the treatment model to 2+ patients, they may enroll in the full Learning Community. Please note that unlicensed professionals will not be eligible for Provider Status until they complete licensure. We are pleased to offer enrollment in our Learning Communities at a reduced rate thanks to the generosity of our funders, the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the Gavin Farrell Foundation.

Learning Community Participant

  • Foundational workshop
  • Provider Portal access
  • Skills Labs
  • Weekly case consultation calls
  • Opportunity to achieve Provider Status in the treatment model
  • Reduced Cost of $350

Student Participant

  • Foundational workshop
  • Provider Portal access
  • Skills Labs
  • Reduced Cost of $50

What is your refund policy?

Registration fees, minus a $50 service charge, will be refunded to participants who send a written cancellation via email to admin@strongstartraining.org no less than 15 days before the training. No refunds will be made thereafter.

A colleague may be substituted for no extra charge if STRONG STAR Training Initiative is notified at least two business days before the training. In some cases, you may be able to reschedule to a future Learning Community with no additional cost.

Apply for an Upcoming Learning Community:

Sponsors

The Gavin Farrell Foundation Logo

Bob Woodruff Foundation Logo

This program is made possible in part by funding from the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which is dedicated to ensuring that our nation’s veterans, service members, and their families — those who stood for us — have stable and successful futures.

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