Dr Braccio & Dave Akerly discuss how COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY CAN BE HELPFUL 3-23-21 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment to help persons understand how negative thoughts and resulting behaviors negatively impact them and their lives. Psychological problems are seen as the result of these negative and faulty thoughts. The goal is to understand what specific thought patterns are causing them to function ineffectively and replace them with positive ones. A further goal is that persons can become their own therapists. CBT has been found to be helpful with overcoming anxiety, PTSD, OCD, depression, marital issues, alcohol and substance abuse disorders, sexual disorders, and eating disorders. The following are CBT techniques that can help eliminate dysfunctional behaviors and resulting unhappiness: 1.GOALS ARE MEASURABLE, SPECIFIC AND TIME-RELATED. 2.COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING IS THE REPLACING OF NEGATIVE THOUGHTS WITH POSITIVE ONES. 3.JOURNALING IS THE PRACTICE OF WRITING DOWN NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND WRITING POSITIVE THOUGHTS TO REPLACE THEM. 4.DESENSITIZATION BY GRADUALLY CONFRONTING UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATIONS AND IDEAS TO OVERCOME THEM. 5.HOMEWORK IS OFTEN GIVEN BY THERAPISTS TO HELP PERSONS PRACTICE TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES DISCUSSED DURING COUNSELING SESSIONS. 6.ROLEPLAYING TO BETTER BE ABLE TO CONFRONT PERSONS OR SITUATIONS THAT CAUSE US FEAR AND/OR DISCOMFORT.