Treating Survivors of Sexual Assault with CPT
摘要
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) was developed to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among survivors of sexual assault. Since then, CPT has garnered substantial empirical support with this population, along with numerous other trauma-exposed groups. The heterogeneous nature of sexual assaults and the unique challenges faced by survivors of this type of trauma may nevertheless warrant special treatment considerations, modifications, and specific interventions within the CPT model. Thus, this chapter summarizes the empirical research regarding use of CPT with sexual assault survivors, as well as discusses some clinical considerations that may be beneficial when working with these individuals. This includes identifying an index trauma in cases of multiple traumatic events, considering when the written account may be indicated, addressing rape myths and other sexual assault-related beliefs, and issues including military sexual trauma (MST) and other special sub-groups. This chapter then presents a case example to demonstrate the application of CPT with a female veteran sexual assault survivor who had undergone multiple prior traumas. Finally, this chapter highlights limitations of the current literature on CPT for sexual assault survivors and identifies promising future directions for CPT research and application with this population.