Numerous research studies have found that Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) is the most effective treatment for panic attacks, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.  There is conflicting research on whether CBT is superior to other forms of therapy for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.  Most therapists in New Jersey are not trained in CBT and provide other forms of psychotherapy.  But several of the therapists in our office are highly qualified cognitive-behavioral therapists, and two of us are the founders of the New Jersey Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists.

          The basic assumption of cognitive-behavior therapy is that people’s psychological problems are caused by erroneous thinking.  CBT therapists use cognitive and behavioral techniques to change patients’ erroneous thinking, and the changed thinking causes symptom relief as well as positive changes in behavior, emotions, self-esteem, relationships, and coping skills.