Ten misconceptions about trauma-focused CBT for PTSD
Abstract
Therapist cognitions about trauma-focused psychological therapies can affect our implementation of evidence-based therapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), potentially reducing their effectiveness.
Based on observations gleaned from teaching and supervising one of these treatments, cognitive therapy for PTSD (CT-PTSD), ten common ‘misconceptions’ were identified.
These included misconceptions about the suitability of the treatment for some types of trauma and/or emotions, the need for stabilisation prior to memory work, the danger of ‘retraumatising’ patients with memory-focused work, the risks of using memory-focused techniques with patients who dissociate, the remote use of traumafocused techniques, and the perception of trauma-focused CBT as inflexible.
In this article, these misconceptions are analysed in light of existing evidence and guidance is provided on using trauma-focused CT-PTSD with a broad range of presentations.
Citations
Hannah Murray, Nick Grey , Emma Warnock-Parkes, Alice Kerr, Jennifer Wild, David M. Clark, and Anke Ehlers.Ten misconceptions about trauma-focused CBT for PTSD
Page last reviewed: 12 June, 2025
Metadata
Author(s): Clark, David M; Ehlers, Anke; Murray, Hannah; Warnock-Parkes, Emma; Wild, Jennifer
Collection: 123456789/30
Subject(s): Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Format(s): Preprint
Date issued: 2022-04
ID: 1109