Advances in CBT Newsletter - Fall 2025

 Fall 2025

 

Access the Newsletter


The Fall 2025 issue of Advances in CBT is now available. This edition features key updates from both the Academy and the International Association of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, along with new initiatives, member achievements, and upcoming opportunities to engage with our community.


Highlights include:


  • A message from A-CBT President Dr. Jamie Schumpf, reflecting on organizational growth, new membership pathways, and global training efforts.


  • Details on our Annual Reception in New Orleans and this year’s award recognitions.


  • The launch of the A-CBT Blog and Author Spotlight Series, showcasing thought leadership from our diplomates and fellows.


  • Updates on ongoing web-based trainings, including our foundational Introduction to CBT course.


  • Information about the monthly peer-consultation group, open to all members.


  • Member and community features spotlighting current work, international initiatives, and evolving directions in CBT practice.


  • Recent publications from the International Journal of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.



We encourage you to read the full issue for articles, announcements, and ways to stay connected with Academy and IACBT activities.


Thank you for your continued commitment to advancing high-quality CBT around the world!


We also invite submissions for future issues of Advances in CBT, including brief articles, clinical reflections, and updates on CBT-related initiatives around the world. If you are interested in contributing, please contact Editor Dr. Scott Waltman at walt2155@pacificu.edu

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

Religiosity/Scrupulosity OCD in Judeo-Christian Contexts

By Rachel Meyer • February 17, 2026
From the perspective of Dr. Curtis Hsia, a psychologist and a practicing Christian

Highlighting Mental Imagery in CBT

January 25, 2026
By Professor Emily A Holmes Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University, Sweden School of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK