Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a term encompassing a variety of evidence-based therapeutic strategies that gained traction in the last few decades for their effectiveness, inclusive of modalities like ACT and DBT. These types of therapies generally focus on addressing automatic thoughts–– more specifically, our relationship to these automatic thoughts–– and the resulting behaviors that get in the way of us living the kind of live we want to.
Some of the key ways that a therapist using CBT helps their clients are by working with them to set specific goals and then develop the skills necessary to reach these goals. With the therapist’s support, the client will develop increased self-awareness and self-observation skills, hone their problem-solving abilities when experiencing distress, and practice what they learn–– both within the session and outside via homework. CBT engages clients to address learned thinking and behaviors by identifying their personal values, recognizing unhelpful cognitive distortions, leaning into fear rather than avoiding it, building a repertoire of grounding skills to help regulate their mind and body, and ultimately experiment with new ways of being in the world.
CBT has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for a wide range of challenges, including addiction, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, eating disorders, and phobias, among others.