Trauma and PTSD: An Integrated Cognitive Approach

Description

This course is a live, interactive webinar held on December 4, 2026, from 11am-6pm Eastern Daylight Time.

Registration closes at midnight (EDT) the day before the event

Do you know what the first-line treatment recommendations for PTSD really are—and how to apply them confidently in real-world practice? While newer approaches often generate excitement, cognitive and exposure-based treatments remain at the top of the strength-of-evidence rankings and continue to be frontline recommendations in the APA’s updated practice guidelines.

If you want greater clarity about what truly works—and a practical roadmap for implementing it—this training offers an integrated, research-informed framework that translates the strongest evidence into strategies you can immediately use with clients struggling with trauma and PTSD.

Jeff Riggenbach, Ph.D., trained at The Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research in Philadelphia and has spent over 20 years developing and directing cognitive-behaviorally based treatment programs for Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Addictive Behavior Disorders, and Personality Disorders across multiple levels of care. Because trauma frequently co-occurs with personality dysfunction, he and his teams consistently delivered up-to-date, evidence-based PTSD treatment to patients fully meeting diagnostic criteria. His extensive clinical leadership and CBT expertise uniquely position him to guide clinicians through complex trauma presentations with clarity and confidence.

Through didactic teaching, case studies, and humor—and drawing from the latest CBT-based literature—Dr. Riggenbach is known for taking lessons from research off the “top shelf” and placing them on the “bottom shelf,” making them accessible and practical for clinicians “in the trenches.” This course presents an integrated model that emphasizes commonalities across empirically supported treatments, walking you step-by-step through an easy-to-understand three-stage process for effective PTSD care.

This training explores the four symptom clusters in PTSD and contrasts them with the three clusters in C-PTSD, while examining schemas that activate the threat response system and cognitive distortions that exacerbate threat-based appraisals. You will analyze shared elements across leading exposure-based approaches—including Cognitive Therapy for PTSD (Ehlers & Clark), Prolonged Exposure (Foa), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (Resick)—and construct a clear three-phase treatment plan. The course also addresses distorted appraisals, lack of habituation, disjointed trauma memories, “stuck points,” moral injury, relational healing, and strategies for fostering post-traumatic growth so clients can continue building resilience long after treatment ends.

Key Takeaways:

• Diagnostic Clarity and Case Conceptualization: Strengthen your understanding of PTSD and C-PTSD symptom clusters, threat-based schemas, and cognitive distortions that drive persistent suffering.
• Integrated, Evidence-Based Treatment Planning: Apply common principles across Cognitive Therapy for PTSD, Prolonged Exposure, and Cognitive Processing Therapy within a structured three-phase model.
• Facilitating Growth Beyond Symptom Reduction: Utilize practical strategies to address moral injury and promote post-traumatic growth, helping clients move from stabilization to meaningful reintegration.

Why This Course?

• Frontline, Guideline-Aligned Care: Ground your clinical decisions in treatments that continue to top the strength-of-evidence rankings and remain first-line recommendations.
• Expert-Led, Clinically Grounded Training: Learn from a clinician who has developed and directed CBT-based programs across diverse psychiatric settings and levels of care.
• Practical Application for Real-World Settings: Gain tools that are immediately transferable to outpatient, inpatient, community, and telehealth environments—consistent with Telehealth Certification Institute’s mission to equip professionals with exceptional, high-quality continuing education.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the 4 symptom clusters in PTSD and contrast with the 3 in C-PTSD.
• List 1 schema linked to PTSD that activates the threat response system.
• Identify 3 cognitive distortions that exacerbate threat-based appraisals.
• Analyze commonalities in empirically supported exposure-based approaches to treatment.
• Construct a three-phase approach to treating clients with PTSD.
• Utilize 3 strategies for facilitating post-traumatic growth.

When trauma histories are complex, and presentations feel layered or “stuck,” having a clear, evidence-based roadmap can transform uncertainty into purposeful clinical action. This training offers a structured, integrated approach that supports you in reducing PTSD-related suffering and helping clients move toward lasting resilience and meaningful recovery.

Format and Access

This course is a live, interactive webinar.

Course Details

Schedule: (listed in Eastern Daylight Time)

• 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Lecture
• 12:00 pm - 12:05 pm Q&A
• 12:05 pm - 12:15 pm Break
• 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm Lecture
• 1:15 pm - 1:20 pm Q&A
• 1:20 pm - 1:50 pm Lunch
• 1:50 pm - 2:55 pm Lecture
• 2:55 pm - 3:05 pm Q&A
• 3:05 pm - 3:15 pm Break
• 3:15 pm - 4:20 pm Lecture
• 4:20 pm - 4:30 pm Q&A
• 4:30 pm - 4:40 pm Break
• 4:40 pm - 5:50 pm Lecture
• 5:50 pm - 6:00 pm Q&A

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Who Should Attend:

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a live, interactive webinar. Enrollment includes access to live event(s) but does not include recordings of the presentations.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

About Jeff Riggenbach, Ph.D.

Jeff Riggenbach, PhD, is a best-selling and award-winning author/speaker/clinician who has trained audiences in all 50 United States, Canada, Mexico, The UK, Ireland, Malta, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. He has devoted the past 25 years to developing advanced expertise in cognition and personality. He personally trained at The Beck Institute of Cognitive Therapy and Research to develop his hospital's Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment Program, which has not treated over 500 patients with BPD across multiple levels of care. He has since developed and directed cognitive-behavioral based programs for Depression, Anxiety Disorders, and Addictive Behavior Disorders. Jeff's approach of taking evidence-based treatments and presenting them in ways that can be used by everyday clinicians "in the trenches" has earned him the nickname "The Practical Toolbox Guy," and his trainings often receive the highest marks from conference participants.

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 6 continuing education hours of credit.

Counselors:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists:

Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations.  You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.

Social Workers:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 6 clinical continuing education credits.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.

Addiction Professionals:
 

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

Psychologists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.

Art Therapists: Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.

Other Professionals:

This course qualifies for 360 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

This course is an-interactive, live online webinar.

Participants may request a printed version of their certificate of completion to be delivered by mail. A shipping/handling fee of $6.95 will be charged per request. Shipping internationally may require an additional charge.

Agreement

By registering for this event you are agreeing to the following:

• 24 hour notice is required if you are not able to make it to a live event. Recordings are not provided to webinar registrants.
• To update and test using Zoom.us/test before the event to ensure you are ready for the event.
• Since this is a live interactive event it means that your interaction during the event is expected.  Your name and image will be visible to other participants during the live event. You will NOT be included in any recording made.
• An evaluation must be completed within one week of the event. Continuing Education credit(s) cannot be issued unless you attend the event and the evaluation is submitted.  (Evaluation is not mandatory for APA hours)
• Partial CE credits are not possible; therefore you are required to be present throughout the event in order to receive CE credits.
• Respect all other participants during the event as though you would if you were sitting with the other attendees at a conference table:
  • Dress appropriately
  • Be in a private location void of distractions
  • Do not multitask
  • Do not drive during an event
  • Remain on mute unless you are sharing with the group

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement