Core Competencies in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy ─ Becoming a Highly Effective and Competent Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist

This volume is a concise, convenient, and clearly written book for those who wish to study, master, and teach the core competencies of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Relevant for novice therapists as well as experienced clinicians and supervisors, this text also goes “between the lines” of evidence-based practices to highlight those methods which maximize the motivational and inspirational power of this therapy. Dr. Newman focuses on ways in which therapists can make treatment memorable for clients, thus enhancing maintenance and self-efficacy. He also highlights the value system that is inherent in best practices of cognitive-behavioral therapies, such as clinicians’ commitment to earn the trust and collaboration of clients, to be humble students of the field for their entire careers, and to seek to combine the best of empirical thinking with warmth and creativity.

Notably, this handbook also emphasizes the importance of therapists applying cognitive-behavioral principles to themselves in the form of self-reflective skills, good problem-solving, being role models of self-care, and being able to use techniques thoughtfully in the service of repairing strains in the therapeutic relationship. Newman’s book provides many enlightening clinical examples, including those practices that otherwise eager therapists should not do (such as “micro-managing” the client’s thoughts), as well as a plethora of transcript material that describes best supervisory practices. It does all this with a tone that is engaging, respectful of the reader, caring towards the clients, and optimistic about the positive impact cognitive-behavioral therapies—when learned and used well—can have on the lives of so many, clients and clinicians alike.

Cory F. Newman, PhD, ABPP, is Director of the Center for Cognitive Therapy, and Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Newman is a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology, with a specialty in Behavioral Psychology, and a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He previously co-authored four books, and is the author of numerous articles and chapters related to the therapeutic relationship, clinical supervision, and cognitive-behavioral therapy for a wide range of disorders. Dr. Newman is an international lecturer on cognitive-behavioral therapy, and has served as a protocol therapist and supervisor on many large-scale clinical trials testing the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatment protocols.