Today we talk about the importance of identifying your own strengths.  We previously talked about what cognitive behavior was and what the thinking errors were and how to identify them and change them.  We also talked about the strategy to defeat negative thinking.  Today is about identifying your strengths and filling out the strength wheel which you can get from the website.

Today we talk about self-esteem and some exercises to get you out of the past and present and into the future.  Self-esteem can be fixed with some work from you.  The two exercises recommended today are the 3 MIQ's (3 Most Important Questions) and to identify your values, beliefs, passions and traits.  And using the information from this exercise you can determine who you want to be and determine how to get there.  The point is to know who you are and who you want to be.

My skin care recommendation this week is the Algenist Collagen skin care kit.  It comes with a bottle of collagen, anti-wrinkle cream and under the eye skin balm.  Now, many of you may be thinking that you are too young for anti-wrinkle care.  Well, I am here to tell you NOT to wait until you "need" it.  If you start using this kit now and continue to use it until you are older, you will thank God you did.  It helped my skin look younger, but I am always kicking myself because if I started doing this when I was much younger, I would look even better.  So, never think it is too early or that your are too young to start skin care treatment.

In CBT, there are 4 "P's" in Case Formulation:

• Predisposing factors;
• Precipitating factors;
• Perpetuating factors; and
• Protective factors

They help us understand what might be leading a perceived problem to arise, and what might prevent them from being tackled effectively.

In this worksheet, a therapist will work with their client through 4 steps.

First, they identify predisposing factors, which are those external or internal and can add to the likelihood of someone developing a perceived problem ("The Problem"). Examples might include genetics, life events, or their temperament.

Together, they collaborate to identify precipitating factors, which provide insight into precise events or triggers that lead to "The Problem" presenting itself. Then they consider perpetuating factors, to discover what reinforcers may be maintaining the current problem.

Last, they identify protective factors, to understand the client's strengths, social supports, and adaptive behavioral patterns.

Extended Case Formulation Worksheet

This worksheet builds on the last. It helps you or your client address the "Four P Factors" described just above—predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating, and protective factors. This formulation process can help you or your client connect the dots between core beliefs, thought patterns, and present behavior.

This worksheet presents six boxes on the left of the page (Part A), which should be completed before moving on to the right-hand side of the worksheet (Part B).

1. The first box is labeled "The Problem," and corresponds with the perceived difficulty that your client is experiencing. In this box, you are instructed to write down the events or stimuli that are linked to a certain behavior.
2. The next box is labeled "Early Experiences" and corresponds to the predisposing factor. This is where you list the experiences that you had early in life that may have contributed to the behavior.
3. The third box is "Core Beliefs," which is also related to the predisposing factor. This is where you write down some relevant core beliefs you have regarding this behavior. These are beliefs that may not be explicit, but that you believe deep down, such as "I'm bad" or "I'm not good enough."
4. The fourth box is "Conditional assumptions/rules/attitudes," which is where you list the rules that you adhere to, whether consciously or subconsciously. These implicit or explicit rules can perpetuate the behavior, even if it is not helpful or adaptive. Rules are if-then statements that provide a judgment based on a set of circumstances. For instance, you may have the rule "If I do not do something perfectly, I'm a complete failure."
5. The fifth box is labeled "Maladaptive Coping Strategies" This is where you write down how well these rules are working for you (or not). Are they helping you to be the best you can be? Are they helping you to effectively strive towards your goals?
6. Finally, the last box us titled "Positives." This is where you list the factors that can help you deal with the problematic behavior or thought, and perhaps help you break the perpetuating cycle. These can be things that help you cope once the thought or behavior arises or things that can disrupt the pattern once it is in motion.

On the right, there is a flow chart that you can fill out based on how these behaviors and feelings are perpetuated. You are instructed to think of a situation that produces a negative automatic thought and record the emotion and behavior that this thought provokes, as well as the bodily sensations that can result. Filling out this flow chart can help you see what drives your behavior or thought and what results from it.

Today we will discuss the presidential debate that took place on Thursday.  I talk about my feelings towards our current president and his performance at the debate.  I talk about the issues we could be dealing with in the near future if the same president is elected and the US Supreme Court Justice nominee is confirmed.

Today my recommendation for makeup is the bareMinerals Primer.  This primer is very light weight and very silky.  What I found when I use this product, the pores on my face diminish.  I have pretty bad pores on my nose and this primer helps to reduce those.  The primer is also great for all the makeup being applied after.  It makes the skin even and allows the colors of what you put on pop a little more.  So, I would give this primer a 4 out of 5 stars and would highly recommend you use it.  It can be found on the webpage under the products tab.

Self-Esteem can be defined as how one values themselves.  Am I worthy of love, am I worthy of happiness.  The first part of self-esteem is the aspect of self-efficacy which is whether you feel you can make it in the world.  Do you have your own opinions?  Are you the master of your own life?  The second aspect is self-respect.  Self-respect is feeling value, that you deserve happiness and that you deserve happiness.  The six pillars talked about are: 1) Living consciously: 2: The practice of self-acceptance; 3) The practice of self-responsibility; 4) Self assertiveness; 5) Living purposefully; and 6) Integrity.

Welcome to the first Skin Care Tuesday.  We will now be giving quick shout outs to skin care products that I recommend.  This week I am giving a shout out to the Olay Vitamin C Face Mask.  Using scrubs on your face is critical to get all of the dead skin cells off.  The better the quality of the product, the better results are.  I can give my official stamp of approval for Olay and can personally say that this is a great product that makes the skin on your face feel great.  Highly recommend getting it from our website.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a well-established, effective type of short-term therapy. It's based on the connections between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and how they can influence each other.

There are quite a few techniques that are used with CBT. Depending on the type of issue you want help with, either you or your therapist will help figure out which CBT strategy is best suited to your particular needs.

We talk about 9 new and different techniques.

Today I talk a little bit about democracy.  I don't talk about my opinions regarding what is going on in today's world.  I am encouraging each of you to educate yourself.  Educating yourself today is more important than ever.  With the election coming up and a new US Supreme Court justice being appointed, it is critical that you know and understand the issues that may face us in the near future, especially women.  I put a selection of books up on the website.  Those are books that I would recommend that you purchase and read.  We may be facing a completely different world soon, and you should be as knowledgeable as possible in order to understand the effects this change may have on you.