Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Nuts & Bolts

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most practiced therapeutic skill sets today. CBT is defined as the integration of Cognitive and Behavioral therapies designed by greats like Ellis, Beck, Watson and Skinner.

Unlike psychoanalytic therapies that focus on the intrapsychic root of a person’s issues, CBT practitioners believe that changing thought patterns results in long lasting emotional, behavioral and cognitive changes. CBT is one of the most widely known and used brief therapies utilized for symptom reduction, and it is a highly effective tool for resolving negative self-talk that may support ineffective, inappropriate and, sometimes, even dangerous behavior. CBT is one of the therapies of choice by most Managed Care companies as it is relatively efficient and keeps session use to a minimum. CBT is a great skill to have in your toolkit. It can be used effectively to treat depression, anxiety, panic, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, chronic illness and fatigue, and more. This course will provide a general introduction to CBT. For advanced instruction review the Resource & Links page for organizations that provide advanced training in the field.

This intermediate course is comprised of ten articles, divided into three sections. The first three articles define and describe the foundations and interventions associated with CBT. The next three articles pose ways in which CBT can be used with special populations and, finally, the last cluster of articles presents evolving trends and modifications of CBT. Additional resources and references are provided for further study, but they are not part of the course.