Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is a short-term, problem-focused form of behavioral treatment that helps people see the difference between beliefs, thoughts, and feelings, and free them from unhelpful patterns of behavior.
CBT is grounded in the belief that it is a person’s perception of events – rather than the events themselves – that determines how he or she will feel and act in response.
CBT can help with:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Phobias
- Obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Substance dependency
- Persistent pain
- Disordered eating
- Sexual issues
- Anger management issues
Most people with clearly defined behavioral and emotional concerns tend to reap the benefits of CBT. If any of the above issues resonate with you, I encourage you to try cognitive behavioral therapy.
With CBT, you’ll be able to adjust the thoughts that directly influence your emotions and behavior. This adjustment process is referred to as cognitive reconstructing, which happens through different CBT techniques.
Some CBT techniques are:
- Journalling
- Challenging beliefs
- Relaxation
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Social, physical and thinking exercises
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is much more than sitting and talking about whatever comes to mind during a session. CBT sessions are structured to ensure that the therapist and the person in treatment are focused on the different goals of each session, which in turn ensures that each and every session is productive.
A "formal CBT program" refers to a structured, evidence-based therapy program that strictly adheres to the principles and techniques of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), delivered by a trained therapist, while "CBT-informed" means incorporating key CBT concepts and strategies into a broader intervention, potentially delivered by a non-specialist, with less strict adherence to the full CBT protocol.
My Approach
My approach utilizes a CBT-informed approach with CBT skill implementation focusing becoming aware of all incoming thoughts and feelings and accepting them, but not attaching or reacting to them.