What is massed-trauma treatment?

In massed-trauma treatment patients complete a full course of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) in one week. CPT is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy, geared specifically toward addressing PTSD. CPT is considered by experts to be an evidence-based treatment. This means that there are a number of research studies that suggest many (but not all) individuals with PTSD who complete the treatment will experience at least some reduction in their symptoms. It’s important to know that this treatment involves discussing your traumatic experiences in every session. Your therapist can help you learn coping skills to address emotions that may come up during this process.

Completing CPT in one week is a major commitment. You will meet with the psychologist for one 60 minute session each morning. In the morning session you’ll be given homework assignments to complete over the next few hours. You’ll meet with your therapist again in the afternoon and will be given homework assignments to complete in the evening. After-session homework can take anywhere between 20-90 minutes on average. Most individuals find that they need to clear their schedule (e.g., take the week off work, arrange for assistance with childcare), in order to have enough time and energy to devote to massed-trauma treatment. The benefit of making this commitment, is that you can complete CPT in one week. By comparison this treatment can take a few months to complete if you only attend sessions once a week. Therefore, in massed-trauma treatment, you may see improvements in your symptoms much more quickly. Some people also find that it’s easier to get the support they need to complete this treatment from family and friends over the course of one-week compared to over the course of months.

Who is massed-trauma treatment a good fit for?

Massed-trauma treatment is meant for individuals with a PTSD diagnosis. Most individuals experience at least one major trauma in their lives; however, not everyone who experiences a trauma develops PTSD. Examples of trauma that can trigger PTSD include sexual assault, domestic violence, combat, natural disasters, and serious accidents. Some individuals may be at risk for PTSD related to incidents that they are exposed to through their jobs, such as first responders or medical professionals who worked with COVID patients. PTSD includes symptoms such as intrusive memories of the trauma, negative changes to the way you look at the world, feelings of numbness or depression, and hypervigilance (i.e., being very alert to potential threats). If you have had any of these experiences and symptoms, contact us to determine whether massed-trauma treatment may be a good fit for you. There are also links to learn more about trauma and PTSD on our resources page.

How do I get started?

Once you reach out to us, we’ll complete a brief phone assessment to get an idea of the concerns you’d like to address in treatment. Next, we’ll schedule an intake appointment. In this visit the psychologist will ask you questions about your mental health and medical history. If it seems like the massed-trauma treatment will be helpful to you, we’ll schedule a second intake appointment where your psychologist will ask more questions about your history of exposure to traumatic events and possible PTSD symptoms you may be having. It’s important to know that completing an intake is not a guarantee that you will be able to receive the massed-trauma treatment. Research suggests that there are some concerns that make it difficult to engage in this type of treatment such as co-occurring eating disorder, substance use, or psychotic symptoms. If you are not a good fit for the treatment at this time, the psychologist will make alternate treatment recommendations.