What is Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)?

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps by teaching people to identify and change the thoughts and behaviors that are contributing to their difficulties.

Cognitive behavior therapy is:

• Evidence-based. Research has shown CBT to be an effective treatment for a variety of mood, anxiety, substance use, and other difficulties. The treatment is also evidence-based in that you and your therapist will collect data to monitor your progress as therapy proceeds and will use the data to maximize the therapy’s effectiveness. 

• Goal-oriented. You and your therapist will identify goals you want to accomplish in your therapy. Typical therapy goals include: reducing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety, reducing time spent worrying, increasing ease of decision-making, reducing procrastination, improving your relationships.

• Collaborative. You and your therapist will work together as a team to develop a shared understanding of your difficulties and a plan to address them.

• Present-focused. Although your therapist will spend some time working with you to understand how you developed the difficulties you are struggling with, the main focus of therapy sessions will be on the present.  

• Active. Your therapist will play an active role as teacher and coach, and you will be asked to work actively to learn and practice new skills.

Types of CBT we provide include:

• Traditional CBT as developed by Aaron T. Beck, M.D. and many others.

• Exposure-based treatment for anxiety and related disorders

• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for obsessive-compulsive and related disorders

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Harm Reduction for substance over-use and other difficulties

• Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP)