From what I’ve gathered, CBT is about replacing harmful thoughts and actions with positive thoughts and actions?
So, a CBT therapist working with a pedophile would have the patient emphasize to themselves about how “children cannot consent” and about how the patient doesn’t need to molest a child to live a happy life. Instead of being miserable at being sexually/romantically unfulfilled, they should take pride and joy in not causing harm to children.
CBT is also used to replace negative thoughts within the patient about themselves. Instead of thinking “I’m a bad person because of my attraction”, think “I am a good person because I don’t harm others”. Swapping your negative thoughts about yourself (“I’m disgusting and gross, inherently immoral, doomed to offend or be miserable, deserve to be killed/should commit suicide, etc.) for positive and affirming thoughts (“I’m a good person, my attraction is not harmful by itself, I’m worthy of human dignity and respect, I don’t need to molest kids to be happy, there are people who love and accept me for who I am, etc.).
Note that CBT is different from conversion therapy. The latter would try to “cure” pedophiles by attempting to remove their attraction entirely. Forcing them to have sex with adults, medications to forcibly reduce/redirect libido, drilling in the idea that this attraction is inherently wrong and MUST be changed (despite all evidence pointing to that being impossible), etc. The former is focused not on eliminating the attraction, but on altering/preventing harmful thoughts and behaviors, and affirming the pedophile’s inherent worth and dignity as a human being.
Do I understand correctly?