Written by Janessa M. Borges, LCSW, Naples Oceanside Wellness, LLC.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment that has been demonstrated to be extremely effective for a range of problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders and severe mental illness.
CBT focuses on changing your pattern of thinking and how they directly affect emotions and behaviors. CBT is based on several core principles, including:
- Identifying problematic, faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking and thought patterns that are keeping you stuck
- Changing your ways of thinking, challenging the accuracy of your thoughts, and developing balanced alternative views to initial interpretations of events
- Learning better ways of coping, new problem-solving and emotion regulation skills
- Building motivation and the ability to engage in productive and meaningful behavior through exercises leading to living more effective lives
During CBT, your therapist will work with you to identify distortions in your thinking and create an individualized plan that can help you reach your goals. CBT works best when you are actively participating in your sessions and in-between sessions and is designed to empower you. Your therapist might utilize behavioral experiments to test thoughts and challenge your behaviors.
Things you can expect when doing CBT
You and your therapist will become collaborators – In CBT, you and your therapist will be working together as a team. You will discuss your goals and expectations, a plan to accomplish the changes you want to see and how to go about actually achieving these changes. Together you will figure out what kind of change is realistic. As you work to reach your goals, you will be guided, held accountable and supported.
You will focus on the present – Unlike most therapies, CBT focuses on the problems you are currently experiencing in your life. There are some instances where it will be necessary to discuss past trauma, your childhood, previous patterns of behaviors, and interpersonal relationships that will be warranted to uncover core beliefs about yourself.
You will problem-solve – CBT is practical. If one of your goals is to reduce depressive feelings, the solution may be to participate in more activities. Working against the avoidant behaviors that are present in depression can help introduce positive experiences into your daily life. In this case, you may spend some of the session talking about potential activities and how you can overcome potential barriers by engaging in those activities.
You will discuss your patterns of thought – CBT addresses negative and unhealthy thought patterns. Your thoughts directly contribute to your mood, level of emotional distress, and other emotions. Your therapist will teach you to think differently in situations that negatively affect you.
You will learn new skills – CBT works by teaching you new skills and ways to cope. If you have social anxiety, you will learn skills to help you tolerate being in anxiety-inducing social situations. Let’s say you are prone to extreme worry, then you will learn skills to help you talk through your anxiety. These skills will help to alleviate significant psychological distress.
Give me a call today to see if CBT is right for you. Whether you struggle with anxiety, stress or simply want a different outlook on life, I can guide you and provide you with the skills and resources you need to create a life you truly love.
Together, we will work through adjusting through life changes and focus on healthy communication in all of your relationships.
