MEET A-CBT TRAINER: LESLIE SOKOL

 

Leslie Sokol, PhD, a licensed psychologist, is an internationally recognized leader in the field of cognitive behavioral therapy with almost 40 years of experience in practice, teaching, and research.


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. 

 

 

A Valued Member of the CBT Community,

 

 

Dr. Sokol is a distinguished founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, past president, and current Chairman of it's Credentialing Committee. She is a fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) and the President-Elect of the International Association of Cognitive Psychotherapy (IACBT). Dr. Sokol also served as a Chairman of Behavioral Science for the Mercy Suburban Hospital Family Practice Training Program for over 20 years.


Dr. Sokol has co-authored numerous books and book chapters. Her most current books are: 'The Ultimate CBT Workbook', 'The Comprehensive Clinician's Guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy', 'Teaching and Supervising Cognitive Behavioral Therapy', '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'. She maintains a private practice in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Dating with Social Anxiety in the Digital Landscape

By Rachel Meyer • April 20, 2026
Dating with Social Anxiety in the Digital Landscape by Chamin Ajjan, LCSW, A-CBT, CST

Expanding Access to CBT Training: A-CBT and Renewal & Reward Center Launch Additional Cohorts

April 9, 2026
A Training Model Designed for Real Clinical Competence

Assessing AI Use in CBT: A Modern-Day Ritual

March 19, 2026
I became a new mom over the last year and, as many people know, that experience completely rewires your brain. For me, it was not just the sleepless nights or the existential panic over whether my baby would nap for more than 27 minutes. It was the hormonal wiring for danger, turned up to warp speed. I found myself thinking things I would have laughed off before parenthood. The number of times I imagined tripping down the stairs or wondered whether eating .25 fewer ounces could somehow derail my infant’s entire day was absurd. Yet in the moment, it felt so real and urgent. I looked for answers wherever I could find them: books, friends, our pediatrician, and increasingly, AI. Yes, I asked ChatGPT so many questions about my baby’s sleep, his health, his routine, development markers—you name it. Part of this stemmed from the lack of community many of us have as parents in today's world, ironically fueled by technology itself, and part of it stemmed from my desire to keep my son safe. And the irony wasn’t lost on me; as an exposure therapist, I spend my days helping people step out of reassurance loops. These questions were quietly reinforcing my anxiety. As I leaned on AI support more, I was relying less on my own intuition and more on a machine to tell me what to think and do. I’ve watched this dynamic unfold in my patients for years - using Google, symptom checkers, calorie apps, texts to partners, or late-night forum scrolling. While the medium shifts, the mechanism stays the same. Could AI be a new form of reassurance-seeking? A digital ritual maintaining anxiety in ways we had not fully accounted for in CBT assessment? The Modern Ritual: AI as a Safety Behavior