Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley
CBT News, Tips and  Tools for...

Finding Peace & Joy
In This Issue
Exposure & Response Prevention for OCD
2014 OCD Conference
Inspirational Quotes
Meet Laura Belknap
Real Therapists for Real People
CBT Center in the News
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Summer 2014


We've had another busy quarter. Both Melissa and I participated in OCD training to strengthen our expertise in OCD. I went to the intensive training in Exposure and Response Prevention at the University of Pennsylvania and Melissa attend the International OCD Foundation's Annual Conference.

Due to continued growth, we just hired an Assistant for the CBT Center. Her name is Laura Belknap. Laura will be answering the main phone line, scheduling initial evaluation sessions and assisting with administrative work. Read about Laura below.

You can also learn more about our therapists and their personal journeys to becoming a therapist in the series "Real Therapists for Real People." 

Read more about these topics below and click on the links to read the full articles. 

If you have feedback about the topics in the newsletter or want to suggest subjects for future articles, feel free to email me at laura@cbtsv.com.

Warmly,
Laura Johnson, LPCC, LMFT
Director, Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley

 

Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD
Gold Standard for OCD Treatment

I recently attended intensive training in Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Exposure and Response Prevention is an evidence-based, specialized form of therapy that works by exposing you to the triggers that cause anxiety and fear and teaching you to resist doing any compulsions or rituals to reduce the distress. As you get used to the anxiety and discomfort, your brain learns various lessons including that you can cope with anxiety, distress doesn't last forever, your feared catastrophe does not happen or that you could handle it if it did, and you may even start to realize just how ridiculous or unrealistic your OCD fears are.

 

2014 OCD Conference
International OCD Foundation

Our CBT therapist, Melissa Gould, attended the annual OCD Conference in Los Angeles. Melissa says she enjoyed learning about the latest in OCD treatment and research with presentations on a wide variety of topics by highly respected experts in the field of OCD and OCD spectrum disorders. She was impressed that many parents and children as well as people with OCD were in attendance. Melissa especially enjoyed the sessions focusing on OCD treatment approaches for children and teens, mobile applications that can help kids develop exposures and learning more about the difference between health-related OCD and Somatic Symptom Disorder, formerly known as Hypochondriasis. 

 

Click here to learn more about Melissa's experience at this year's OCD Conference.

 
Inspirational Quotes
Face Your Fears 


Meet Laura Belknap
Our New CBT Center Assistant
We now have two Laura's at the CBT Center! Laura Belknap is our new Center Assistant. She's the friendly person who greets you when you call to schedule an appointment. Laura just graduated from UC Berkeley, where she received a BA in psychology and a minor in education (GO BEARS!). Laura is planning to attend graduate school for psychology, with the goal of one day becoming a practicing therapist. She feels grateful for her new position at the CBT Center not only because it is a great learning experience in teaching her the ins-and-outs of cognitive behavior therapy, but also because it is the exact post-college job Laura sought throughout her undergraduate career. Please join me in welcoming Laura Belknap to the team!


Real Therapists for Real People
Learn about Our Therapists' Personal Journeys

It is my belief that part of building the bond of trust with our clients comes from knowing your therapist is a real person with both strengths and struggles. At the CBT Center, we are open to sharing relevant parts of ourselves with our clients when it could be therapeutic. In CBT, we use all types of tools to help people have hope and inspire change including ourselves as role models. Learn more about our therapists' personal journeys of becoming a therapist by clicking on the links below.





CBT Center in the News
Word is Getting Out!

In May, the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley was featured in a Mercury News article that ran in the Los Gatos and Saratoga newspapers.

Unbeknownst to us, we were also named "Best Counselor in Saratoga."

CBT Center on Facebook
Stay in Touch! 

Keep up with us in between newsletters through our Facebook page. We periodically post interesting stuff about psychology such as news on the latest research and innovations, inspirational messages and articles as well as updates about the CBT Center. If you are interested, then I invite you to stay connected with us by clicking on the following link:

Like us on Facebook

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and found at least one idea that will help you make some positive changes in your life. Feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. 

 

Warm regards,

 

Laura L.C. Johnson, MBA, MA, LMFT, LPCC
Director, Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley
Certified Cognitive Therapist and Diplomate, Academy of Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley provides evidence-based therapy for adults, children and teenagers with anxiety, OCD and related problems.