Winter Seminar: Cognitive-Behavior Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy

 The influence of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is widening as the importance of cost-effective, empirically validated, shorter-term treatment increases. From its beginnings as a treatment for specific phobias, CBT is now indicated for a wide range of mood and anxiety disorders. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a highly effective and very popular form of cognitive-behavioral treatment for patients with borderline personality disorder. Newest on the scene is the application of CBT to the treatment of psychotic symptoms. Topics to be covered will include a brief review of the development of behavioral and cognitive treatments; anxiety disorders, including panic, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder; mood disorders; DBT; and social skills training for schizophrenia. We will include a discussion of CBT for bipolar disorder and also discuss new applications of cognitive therapy to the treatment of delusions and hallucinations. We will in part utilize a case presentation format, in which a typical case will be presented at the beginning of each session and then later discussed using the principles developed that morning. Live role-playing exercises will also be used in order to illustrate the application of social skills training principles. Participants will be invited to present their own cases for cognitive-behavioral consultation.