Handling SOGIECE-related Articles in Behavior Therapy

Membership Update Regarding Handling of SOGIECE-related Articles in Behavior Therapy

ABCT recognizes the importance of keeping the membership updated regarding handling of articles in the Behavior Therapy archive that contain material that is problematically used in support of Sexual and Gender Identity and Expression Change Efforts (SOGIECEs). Subsequent to our last update to membership, Behavior Therapy’s Editorial Board appointed a taskforce to review every article prior to 1995 and identify any articles that have relevance to the SOGIECE practices.

This taskforce was appointed in 2022 and aims to conclude the work by June 2023. The members of the taskforce are as follows, Jonathan S. Comer, Ph.D. (Chair; Editor, Behavior Therapy), Diane Chen, Ph.D., Claire A. Coyne, Ph.D., Christopher Georgiadis, M.S., Omar Gudiño, Ph.D., Nikolaos Kazantzis, Ph.D., David A. Langer, Ph.D., Richard Lebeau, Ph.D., Richard Liu, Ph.D., Carmen McLean, Ph.D., John Pachankis, Ph.D., Katie Schmarder, B.A., Denise Sloan, Ph.D., and Monnica Williams, Ph.D. ABCT will share more details about next steps taken by Behavior Therapy on these articles when the process has concluded in June. We appreciate the patience of our membership as we have made every effort to engage in the process with intention and care.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of treatment that is based firmly on research findings. It places emphasis on changing your cognitions (thoughts) or behaviors (actions) in order to effect change in how you feel. These approaches help people in achieving specific changes or goals.

Changes or goals might involve:

A way of acting: like smoking less or being more outgoing;
A way of feeling: like helping a person to be less scared, less depressed, or less anxious;
A way of thinking: like learning to problem-solve or get rid of self-defeating thoughts;
A way of dealing with physical or medical problems: like reducing back pain or helping a person stick to a doctor’s suggestions.

Cognitive behavioral therapists usually focus more on the current situation and its solution, rather than the past. They concentrate on a person’s views and beliefs about their life. CBT is an effective treatment for individuals, parents, children, couples, and families. The goal of CBT is to help people improve and gain more control over their lives by changing behaviors that don’t work well to ones that do.

How to Get Help

If you are looking for help, either for yourself or someone else, you may be tempted to call someone who advertises in a local publication or who comes up from a search of the Internet. You may, or may not, find a competent therapist in this manner. It is wise to check on the credentials of a psychotherapist. It is expected that competent therapists hold advanced academic degrees. They should be listed as members of professional organizations, such as the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies or the American Psychological Association. Of course, they should be licensed to practice in your state. You can find competent specialists who are affiliated with local universities or mental health facilities or who are listed on the websites of professional organizations. You may, of course, visit our website (www.abct.org) and click on “Find a CBT Therapist”

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) is an interdisciplinary organization committed to the advancement of a scientific approach to the understanding and amelioration of problems of the human condition. These aims are achieved through the investigation and application of behavioral, cognitive, and other evidence-based principles to assessment, prevention, and treatment.