Trauma · CPT

Impact Statement

CPT — why you think it happened, and what it changed

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In your own words, write at least one page about why you think the traumatic event happened — and the effect it has had on your beliefs about yourself, other people, and the world. This is not a description of the event itself. Write by hand if you can; bring it to the next session.

Why I think this event happened

Your meaning — not the official story.

How it has changed what I believe about myself

How it has changed what I believe about other people

How it has changed what I believe about the world

The five CPT themes — touch on each if you can

Safety · Trust · Power & control · Esteem · Intimacy.

Safety

Trust

Power / control

Esteem

Intimacy

You'll write a second Impact Statement at the end of treatment. Keep this one — comparing the two is part of the work.

About this worksheet

The Impact Statement is the assignment that opens the standard CPT protocol (Resick, Monson & Chard). The client writes — by hand, ideally — at least one full page about why they think the traumatic event happened and how it has changed their beliefs about themselves, other people, and the world. Crucially, this is not a trauma narrative: it is a meaning statement. What did the event come to say? The worksheet structures that meaning across the five themes CPT will return to over the next ten sessions — safety, trust, power and control, esteem, and intimacy — so the clinician can hear which themes are most loaded before formal processing begins. A second Impact Statement is written at the end of treatment and compared with this one; the contrast is often the most powerful single moment in the protocol. Bring a printed copy to session two and review it slowly together — the stuck points usually surface in the first paragraph.

When to use it

Session 1 of the 12-session CPT protocol, assigned as homework before session 2.
With PTSD clients who are stable enough for cognitive trauma work — screen for active dissociation, substance use, or suicidality first.
Re-administered in the final session and compared with the original to make change visible.
Avoid as a first move in acute crisis or before establishing the rationale for trauma-focused therapy.

How to use it

1
Introduce the rationale
Explain that meaning — not the event itself — is what CPT targets. The statement surfaces stuck points.
2
Assign as written homework
At least one handwritten page. Discourage typing — slower processing surfaces more material.
3
Read it together in session 2
Read aloud, slowly. Mark stuck points as they appear, especially assimilated and over-accommodated beliefs.
4
Map the five themes
Score which CPT themes (safety, trust, power, esteem, intimacy) carry the heaviest load. These guide later sessions.
5
Re-administer at session 12
Have the client write a fresh Impact Statement and read both side by side. The shift is the outcome measure clients feel most.

Frequently asked questions

What is the CPT Impact Statement?+

The opening homework assignment in Cognitive Processing Therapy. The client writes at least one page on why they believe the trauma happened and how it changed their beliefs about self, others, and the world. It surfaces stuck points for the rest of the protocol.

How long should an Impact Statement be?+

At least one full handwritten page. There's no upper limit, but clinicians find one to two pages is the sweet spot. Length matters less than depth — a half page of honest meaning beats three pages of event description.

Is the Impact Statement a trauma narrative?+

No. The Written Account is the trauma narrative (sessions 4–5 in CPT+A). The Impact Statement is strictly about meaning — why the client thinks it happened and what it changed in their beliefs. Keeping the two separate is core to CPT.

Can I use this worksheet without being CPT-trained?+

It's most useful inside a formal CPT protocol. Clinicians without CPT training can use the structure to surface meaning around a difficult event, but the full therapeutic value comes from the 12-session protocol and the trained therapist's response to stuck points.

Related worksheets

Challenging Questions Worksheet

Open worksheet

Worksheet — Impact Statement — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.