Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is a type of therapy that has been widely researched and has been found to be highly effective in treating emotional upset such as anxiety, anger, or depression. It is based on the belief that our feelings are not caused by events, but rather on our thoughts about those events. Let me explain that further with an example. Imagine you are at work one day and your boss corrects you for doing something wrong. CBT therapists believe it is what you think about this event that causes your feelings. So, if you think, "I'm about to be fired! How can I be so stupid!", you will most likely experience feelings such as fear, anxiety, or perhaps sadness. If instead, you think, "wow, I really messed up there. I'm going to try really hard to learn from this so I don't make that mistake again", do you think you'd feel the same way? No, you'd probably feel determined or interested. 

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Now, a benefit of this way of thinking about feelings is that you don't have to change your feelings, you just have to change your thoughts. Thoughts that are so much easier to access and to change. One of the first techniques I tend to use when doing CBT is a reframing technique in which I have people switch-out negative thoughts with more positive and coping thoughts. Just making this simple change can often bring about big changes for people. 

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If you're interested in recieving CBT, please click the button below to contact me for a free phone consultation.

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