Barry Gregory - CBT Skills Workbook: Practical Exercises and Worksheets to Promote Change

About the Author

Dr. Barry M. Gregory, Ed.D., M.Ed., LMHC, NCC is the President of the National Addictions Treatment Institute and adjunct professor at Barry University. He maintains a professional training, consultation and counseling practice in Boynton Beach, Fl. He has a Doctor of Education degree with a major in Educational Leadership and a Master of Education degree with a major in counselor education from Florida Atlantic University. He completed his BA degree in Psychology at Johnson State College. Barry is a State of Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a National Certified Counselor. The National Addictions Treatment Institute is an approved provider of continuing education seminars by the Florida Certification Board. He is also a member of the American Psychological Association.

His doctoral dissertation (Gregory, 2001) was one of the first published studies on the efficacy of using brief motivational and skill-building interventions with intercollegiate student athletes to help reduce high-risk drinking. He has presented his research findings at national conferences, served as a faculty member at several colleges and universities and as an assistant director of a university counseling center. Dr. Gregory has consulted with colleges and universities on research with high-risk drinking, published white papers on college binge drinking, authored the College Success Workbook, served as a mobile assessor in the Access to Recovery federal grant for the homeless, and served on state and local substance abuse prevention community coalitions. He currently collaborates to write grants and serves as a grant evaluator for local, state and federal grants including a criminal justice family drug court to help abused and neglected children with addicted parents.

Dr. Gregory is well-known for his warm, personal and nonjudgmental approach to helping people find solutions for their most challenging problems. With over 15 years of direct clinical experiences with diverse populations, he has expertise with practical hands-on CBT strategies that work. His expertise in motivational strategies and cognitive-behavioral therapy approaches come not only from his formal education, training, and supervision, but from his extensive clinical experiences with clients. This blending of research and practice is reflected in the publication of this new CBT skills workbook.

With a passion for teaching and learning, Dr. Gregory has developed a career of providing national training seminars for mental health professionals across the United States. He has developed and provided over 500 training seminars on evidence-based practices including motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral therapy, suicide, ethics, depression and bipolar disorder, alcohol and other drug addictions, high-risk college drinking, CBT, PTSD and Trauma, and co-occurring disorders. Dr. Gregory is well-known for his fun, interactive and information seminars.

Again, his focus on what works is evident at his training seminars where participants continue to say they like the hands-on practical take-home and use the next day tools for the toolbox approach. The CBT workbook features practical tools for the toolbox.

Dr. Gregory has also appeared on local health-focused radio programs and MSNBC for a one-hour documentary on college binge drinking entitled Party 101 and has developed a website designed to provide consumers and professionals with easy access to information and resources on addictions and mental health. He is an active member of the American Psychological Association and volunteers as a member of the Palm Beach County Substance Abuse Coalition. He will personally respond to any questions people have about the workbook and contact information is provided.

Dr. Barry M. Gregory

National Addictions Treatment Institute

8934 Via Tuscany Dr.

Boynton Beach, FL 33472

http://natiwebsite.com

Identify Personal Strengths and Supports

Identifying personal strengths and supports can help people grow and succeed in all areas of life. Identifying personal strengths reminds people that they have personality traits or tools to cope with challenges while identifying support systems can help people remember they are not alone and have other people to turn to for encouragement and support. After creating this list, create a regular way to remind yourself of your strengths and the people in your support system.

List Four Personal Strengths

List Four People in Your Support System

Identify Stage of Change

Stage of change refers to a persons readiness or motivation to modify or change something in their life. Identifying your state of readiness can greatly enhance your progress in considering change. First answer the question about your motivation and then check the stage that best reflects your current stage of motivation regarding a concern or change you have been thinking about. Remember there is no right or wrong, good or bad thing about your state of readiness.

On a scale of 1-10, how motivated are you to change?

Identify Your Stage of Change

	Pre-contemplation:	Not yet considering change.
	Contemplation:	Considering change.
	Preparation:	Planning and committing to change.
	Action:	Making the behavior change.
	Maintenance:	Maintaining and sustaining change.
	Relapse:	I slipped or returned to the behavior.

Decisional Balance Worksheet

People have mixed feelings about change. Old habits are hard to change. Part of us wants to change the other part wants to stay the same. Exploring these mixed feelings or ambivalence is designed to help people tip the scale in the direction of change. Exploring the good and not-so-good things about a self-defeating behavior can create a discrepancy between where you are and where you want to be.

Describe a Behavior You are Considering Changing:

Good Things About the Behavior

Not-So-Good Things About the Behavior

Costs and Benefits of Changing or Not Changing

Describe a behavior you are considering changing and then complete the decisional balance exercise below to help you explore the pros and cons of changing versus not changing. While not changing can help to reduce anxiety, it can also produce unintended consequences like continued pain from not changing.

Describe a Behavior You are Considering Changing:

Deciding to Change

Ready, Willing and Able