How We Treat
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
CBT is an effective evidence-based therapy that can help you take control of how you think and feel about yourself and the world around you. It is an interactive approach that uses cognitive techniques and problem-solving skills to address underlying issues. By learning how to challenge unhelpful thoughts, manage overwhelming emotions, and change destructive behaviors, CBT allows people to make meaningful changes in their life. With more than 30 years of research proving its efficacy, it successfully treats many various mental health conditions.
CBT focuses on helping people understand how thoughts–even ones that are inaccurate or misguided–interact with behavior.
This form of therapy deals with present-day challenges rather than delving into past history or childhood experiences. It is a structured approach that identifies specific goals and proposes techniques to help clients meet those goals in a short time frame. Take-home assignments are a key feature of CBT and give clients an opportunity to apply the skills they learn in a therapist’s office to real-life, everyday situations. There are many forms of CBT, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
CBT can be highly effective in addressing a range of mental conditions (such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, OCD, panic disorder, PTSD, substance use) as well as more general struggles (such as divorce, grief, relationship troubles, stress).
What is CBT Therapy?
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment that helps you learn how to manage your present concerns by changing the way you think and behave. CBT is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression symptoms and behaviors, but can be used for a wide range of challenges, including diagnoses such as eating disorders, OCD, panic disorder, PTSD, and substance use disorders. In CBT, we will assist you in identifying thoughts causing you distress and work to generate more helpful alternatives. The main components of CBT include understanding core beliefs, dysfunctional assumptions, and recognizing automatic negative thoughts.
CBT is a structured, short-term treatment in which you will learn to become your own therapist and apply skills you learn to your goals and everyday life. CBT is based on concepts that a person’s thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations or interactions are interconnected. When negative thoughts and feelings enter it traps you in a cycle that leaves you feeling stuck and overwhelmed with problems. CBT aims to help you manage those concerns in a more positive way by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable parts. Additionally, the therapist helps show you how to change these negative thought patterns to improve your overall wellness. CBT is specific, in that the focus is on current problems rather than issues from your past.
CBT Sessions - How we treat.
CBT is a brief focused, therapeutic technique. Sessions last between 5-20 sessions. In sessions, you and the therapist will break down problems into smaller and separate parts. Then these areas will be analyzed to discern if they’re helpful or unrealistic and determine the impact that has on others you connect with and you. Once you work out what you can change, you will be given homework-like assignments to practice these changes in your daily life and discuss how they went during the next sessions. The aim is to teach you skills and how to apply them in your daily life to see a decrease in the impact that your problems are having on your current life.
CBT Resources
- CBT Workbook for Anxiety: A Step-by Step Program
- Don’t Believe Everything you Think: Why your Thinking is The Beginning and End of Suffering
- The Anxious Perfectionist: How to Manage Perfectionism-Driven Anxiety Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy of Addictive Disorders.
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Second Edition: Basics and Beyond – Judith S. Beck and Aaron T. Beck
- The Worry Workbook for Teens: Effective CBT Strategies to Break the Cycle of Chronic Worry and Anxiety – Jamie A. Micco PhD
- The Anxiety and Worry Workbook: The Cognitive Behavioral Solution – David A. Clark and Aaron T. Beck
- Change Your Thinking: Overcome Stress, Anxiety, and Depression, and Improve Your Life with CBT – Sara Edelman PhD
- Mind Over Mood, Second Edition: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think – Dennis Greenberger, Christine A. Padesky and Aaron T. Beck
- Starving the Anxiety Gremlin: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Workbook on Anxiety Management for Young People
We Can Help.
CBT Therapy Techniques
CBT techniques involve identifying and modifying thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that contribute to emotional distress. CBT aims to help individuals gain insight into the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to make changes that lead to healthier functioning. These techniques are just a few common ones designed to help alleviate current symptoms and equip patients with the tools needed for long-term success after treatment.
Cognitive Restructuring
One of the most common CBT techniques is cognitive restructuring. This involves examining negative thoughts or beliefs about oneself or a situation and replacing them with positive ones. Cognitive restructuring can help an individual develop healthier coping skills when faced with difficult situations. It also allows individuals to become aware of how they respond to their environment and make necessary changes to regulate their emotions better. CBT therapists may also request the recording of thoughts in a journal or log book as part of this process.
Behavioral Activation
Behavioral activation is yet another important tool used in CBT therapy sessions. This technique encourages individuals to increase their engagement in activities that have been avoided due to anxiety or depression which often leads to increased motivation, improved sense of well-being, and decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety over time. When using behavioral activation techniques, therapists often work with clients on goal setting and activity scheduling/planning strategies so they can stick with their plan while engaging in enjoyable activities they may have previously avoided due to low mood or fear.
Problem-Solving
Problem-solving skills are important for CBT treatment as they allow individuals to recognize potential obstacles before they arise and develop strategies to address them effectively. Solving problems proactively rather than reactively allows individuals greater control over their lives, leading to improved mental well-being.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is another CBT technique for treating anxiety disorders such as phobias and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Exposure therapy involves exposing an individual to the feared object or situation in a safe and controlled environment until their fear dissipates over time. In exposure therapy, individuals gradually increase their engagement with the feared object or situation until they eventually become desensitized to it.
With Offices in NYC and MD, You Can Be Sure to Find The Best CBT Therapist Near You
There are many different approaches to CBT, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. We have therapists trained in various CBT methods, so reach out, and we will be sure to pair you with the one that best fits your needs. While we offer remote therapy, many people find comfort in in-person therapy, so while we understand that finding a CBT therapist near you can be overwhelming, we have locations in New York City and throughout Maryland, with more centers opening up in surrounding states as well! We hope to see you soon.
