Cognitive-behavioral therapies for post-traumatic stress disorderPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is classified as an anxiety disorder that can develop after an individual has observed and/or experienced an extreme traumatic event involving actual or threatened death or serious injury to self or others (APA, 2000). An extreme traumatic event may include, but is not limited to, military combat, terrorist attacks, natural or man-made disasters, sexual violence, physical assault, robbery, and torture (APA, 2000). The type of traumatic event may influence how medical and mental health professionals assess, conceptualize, and subsequently treat individuals with a PTSD diagnosis. For this reason, sexual violence, as a traumatic event that led to the development of a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, will be at the center of the discussion. Current statistics on sexual violence exemplify the need to focus on this particular population. For example: Every two minutes, someone is sexually assaulted in the United States, and there are approximately 213,000 sexual assault survivors each year (RAINN, 2009). The purpose of this article, therefore, is to explore how cognitive-behavioral therapies assess, conceptualize, and treat clients with a history of sexual assault and a diagnosis of PTSD. Cognitive-behavioral therapy treatment components. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) treatment components that are typically used in the treatment of PTSD include psychoeducation, prolonged exposure and/or in vivo exposure, cognitive restructuring, and anxiety management (Harvey, Bryant, & Tarrier, 2003). Psychoeducation Psychoeducation includes providing the client with information about common symptomatology that may be experienced... middle of paper... conceptualizing and treating clients with a history of sexual assault and a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder. The traumatic sexual event, experienced by the client, can elicit negative cognitions related to post-traumatic stress disorder that are perpetuated by avoidant behaviors. Prolonged exposure, in vivo exposure, and cognitive restructuring can challenge and correct such negative cognitions and avoidant behaviors. Psychoeducation can provide information as well as a rationale about therapy, while anxiety management training can provide coping skills to engage in exposure interventions and cognitive restructuring. In general, cognitive-behavioral therapies can provide the means by which to assess, conceptualize, and treat clients and have also been shown to be effective (Dobson, 2010; Dobson & Dobson, 2009; Foa et al., 1999; Foa & Rauch, 2004; Harvey, Bryant and Tarrier, 2003;, 2010).