Facing the Fear: Evidence-Based CBT Strategies for Overcoming Avoidance

Leslie Sokol, PhD, a licensed psychologist, is an internationally recognized leader in the field of cognitive behavioral therapy with over 40 years of experience in practice, teaching, and research making her a luminary in the field. She was a past Director of Education and one of the principal instructors at the internationally acclaimed Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. She is one of the leading CBT speakers in the world providing teaching and training to professional and paraprofessional groups, both nationally and internationally, on a multitude of CBT topics. Dr. Sokol has been the principal trainer for the largest CBT dissemination project in the United States, where almost 2000 LA county providers have achieved proficiency in delivering evidence-based treatment. Additionally, she has personally sphere headed training to certify multitudes of individuals as both providers and trainers of evidence-based treatment in Monterey and Ventura counties, as well as psychiatry, psychology, social work, and nursing programs in Hong Kong. Over the past ten years she has been disseminating CBT to all department of mental health providers in Oklahoma. To enhance these trainings, Dr. Sokol and Dr. Fox have written CBT training manuals to enhance dissemination and skill acquisition, The Ultimate CBT Workbook and The Comprehensive Clinician’s Guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Teaching and Supervising Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Dr. Sokol is a distinguished founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, past president, and Chairman of its Credentialing Committee for 25 years. She is a fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), President of the International Association of Cognitive Psychotherapy (IACBT) and a board member of World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (WWCBT). Dr. Sokol served as Chairman of Behavioral Science for the Mercy Suburban Hospital Family Practice Training Program for over 20 years where she trained medical staff in evidence based work and psychosocial skills. In her role in the hospital, she also served as the staff psychologist in cardiac rehab, physical rehab, nursing homes, hospice, family practice centers, and hospital consultation. Grant funding allowed her to personally provide psychological services to all HIV positive patients in the hospital catchment area. Her early work on panic disorder included one of the landmark published trials showing the efficacy of CBT in the treatment of Panic. Dr. Sokol has co-authored numerous books and book chapters. Some of these include: Think Confident, Be Confident for Teens: A Cognitive Therapy Guide to Overcoming Self-Doubt and Creating Unshakable Self-Esteem, Think Confident, Be Confident: A Four-Step Program to Eliminate Doubt and Achieve Lifelong Self-Esteem, , and The Think Confident, Be Confident Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help you Create Unshakable Self-Confidence and Reach your Goals.