Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for Military Members, Veterans and First Responders trial
This project investigated how to enhance the effectiveness of an already established therapy, CPT. CPT was designed to help people recover after experiencing a traumatic event and has been widely used with veterans and military personnel, and now with first responders, for example, police, fire service, and ambulance officers. The study was conducted by Professor Reg Nixon from Flinders University and was funded by the Road Home Research Foundation (now Military and Emergency Services Australia [MESHA], part of the Hospital Research Foundation Group).
Significance of the Trial
The aim of this project was to see whether we can make CPT more effective in treating PTSD by allowing greater tailoring of therapy for the needs of the client, that is, personalising the treatment better.
Study Design
This study used an open trial design, meaning that all participants received therapy (i.e., no control group was used). Individuals could receive up to 25 individual therapy sessions of flexible CPT with a trained therapist although in most cases clients needed fewer sessions than this. Participants completed questionnaires at post-, and 3-month follow-up to evaluate outcomes. Although analyses are still being undertaken (data is being prepared for publication), preliminary results indicate positive impacts of CPT in terms of reducing posttraumatic stress and depression.
Article details will be available at Prof. Nixon’s ResearchNow page.
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