Title: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

ISBN: 979-8-9950822-5-5

Author: Patrick Harris

About the Author:

Patrick Harris, PhD, LPC, teaches psychology at Texas State University and counseling at St. Edward’s University. He is Clinical Director of the Texas Institute of Mind-Body Medicine, President of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, and former Chief Operating Officer of Dr. Patch Adams’ Gesundheit Institute. A first-generation college graduate and 12th-generation Texan, he shares his pop culture obsession with two dogs and two ferrets.

About the Book:

Most Cognitive Behavioral Therapy textbooks are written for graduate students and practicing therapists, people who already speak the language. Handing one to an undergraduate is a bit like handing a new reader issue #600 of a comic book and wishing them luck with the backstory.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapies: History, Theories, and Practice starts at issue #1. Written for undergraduate psychology students, it trades clinical jargon for real-world examples, everyday applications, and humor that is there on purpose.

Across 24 chapters, it moves from the history and theory behind CBT to the core behavioral and cognitive interventions, then on to third-wave approaches such as DBT, ACT, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and the cultural and ethical questions that come with real practice.

Every chapter includes:

• Discussion questions for class, online posts, or short essays
• A case vignette for practicing skills on a fictitious client
• Assignment ideas that apply each concept to everyday life

Select chapters add step-by-step exercises students can try on the minor annoyances of daily living. For instructors, Chapters 1 through 13 map onto a semester-long introduction to CBT, with the remaining chapters available as additional readings.

These skills are not magic, and they are not reserved for people with a certain number of letters after their name. With effort and discipline, they are within reach.