CBT is a form of short term counseling that can be used to solve eating problems.
Therapists have developed standardized strategies that can be efficiently taught to groups in a short period of time.  The goal is for our campers to change their behavior and lifestyle when they return home.

The "C" in CBT stands for "Cognitive."

Cognitive refers to the way we think about ourselves and the world.  It means identifying and changing our attitudes about our weight and shape and keep our focus positive and realistic.

For instance, how do we react when we, inevitably, give in to some temptation?  Do we automatically see it as relapse and give up?  In CBT, we challenge this kind of pessimistic, “black or white” thinking.  We become aware of self-defeating thoughts and negative self-images as a first step to changing them.

The “B” in CBT is “behavioral.”

Here is where we learn to gain real control of our behavior.  We learn to recognize unhealthy eating patterns and come up with alternatives, so that we can manage ourselves in social situations, when we are upset or whatever it is that causes us to overeat.  We learn to pursue an active life.  For instance, behavioral methods may include skills in making and honoring a commitment to eating certain foods before we enter a situation or using a graph to begin an exercise program.