Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a broad form of therapy that  encompasses many other therapeutic approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Exposure and Response Prevention therapy. Cognitive is therapy talk for thoughts and so cognitive behavioral therapy like it sounds is all about exploring how thoughts and behaviors impact your emotional state. There are many approaches a CBT therapist can take to do  this and for me as a clinician my approach varies with each client.

One of the common interventions in CBT is to notice what thoughts are happening and what impact those thoughts are having on  behaviors and  emotions. It can provide a lot of insight to keep a log of what thoughts were coming up for you in a moment of distress and the actions and emotions those thoughts lead to. An example might look like I didn’t get my to do list done  today and I noticed I started to tell myself that I am a failure, will never be successful and others would think I was a fraud if they knew I didn’t complete it. I felt ashamed, sad, hopeless, and  depressed and instead of working on my to-do list I pulled out my phone and scrolled on social media for the next hour and a half. As the list grows patterns start to emerge and underlying beliefs can be identified. For the example  person they may have an underlying belief that productivity equals worth or that they aren’t enough that is leading to some of their mental health struggles. In therapy these beliefs and where they come from can be explored and over time the pain associated with the belief can be healed  and a new more  realistic belief can start to take its place. CBT is beneficial for most mental health struggles because so often the meaning attached to thoughts can cause significant distress.