Modification of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT-C) for PTSD and Alcohol Dependence

Objective: To develop a detailed treatment manual that modifies the existing CPT-C treatment protocol to allow for concurrent treatment of PTSD and AD, and to obtain some pilot data regarding its efficacy. Hypothesis: We predict that CPT-C will significantly reduce the number of drinking days (measured by the Timeline Follow Back Method \[TLFB\]) and reduce the symptoms of PTSD (measured by the \[CAPS and PCL\] scores). Design: This is a non-randomized, prospective study in which all participants will receive the modified CPT-C for 12 weeks by trained CPT-C clinicians, with each session lasting approximately 1-1.5 hours). Modifications to CPT-C include psychoeducation about alcohol use as an avoidance of PTSD symptoms integrated throughout treatment, integration of coping skills training for AD, weekly breathalyzer tests to measure blood alcohol level, and use and collection of daily dairies of alcohol use.