What is Cognitive Behavior Therapy?

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is transparent and explicit. You and your therapist will collaboratively discuss the cognitive behavioral understanding of and approach to your difficulties. You should always feel clear about why you are being asked to try different exercises and how the skills you are learning fit with the overall understanding of your problems and goals for therapy. In many ways, you and your therapist will work like scientists - developing hypotheses about your difficulties and conducting experiments to see what can help them improve.

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is:

  • Evidence-based

    Research has shown CBT to be an effective treatment for a variety of mood, anxiety, and other psychological difficulties. Studies comparing CBT and medications indicate CBT can be as effective (and sometimes more effective) than medication. 

  • Collaborative

    You and your therapist will work together as a team to understand what might be causing or maintaining the difficulties you are experiencing and to discuss strategies that might help you address them.

  • Flexible and individualized

    You and your therapist will work together to think through what factors might be driving the difficulties you are wanting to address in therapy. You will then work together to develop a plan that is specific to your challenges and goals. As you implement the treatment plan, you will assess together and adjust as needed.

  • Goal-oriented

    Your therapist will work with you at the beginning of treatment to set clear, measurable goals for the treatment, and to monitor progress toward the goals.

  • Present-focused

    Although you and your therapist may want to spend some time arriving at an understanding of how you came to develop the difficulties you seek to treat, the main focus of the therapy sessions will be on understanding the here-and-now factors that cause and maintain the difficulties, and working to help you identify and practice skills and tools to address the difficulties.

  • Active

    You and your therapist will work together to generate a plan for ways you can practice the concepts and skills you are learning in therapy outside of session.