Mervin R. Smucker: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

● Mervin R. Smucker holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University.

● For more than 30 years, he has pursued an active career as a clinician, trainer, and consultant focused on clinical psychology with a special expertise in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and trauma.

● When people experience trauma, it can cause lasting emotional and psychological effects.

● In the wake of trauma, people may experience upsetting thoughts and feelings, hyper-vigilance, loss of security, and many other overwhelming emotions.

● Trauma may have lasting physical effects as well, such as insomnia and aches and pains.

● CBT is a collection of therapeutic modalities that can help those suffering from trauma-related issues process their emotions relating to the precipitating event.

● Based on the fact that thoughts, not events, cause feelings and behaviors, CBT provides a short-term collaboration between client and therapist to reformulate maladaptive thoughts in ways that empower the client to move past emotional and behavioral adaptations associated with trauma.