Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic approach based on the cognitive model: how we interpret situations influences how we feel emotionally. CBT has demonstrated strong empirical support for the treatment of a wide variety of mental health concerns related to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and others. CBT is generally focused on the present, time-limited, and oriented toward solving problems. Through use of CBT principles, one can learn skills to change maladaptive behaviors, identify distorted thoughts, and modify irrational beliefs. Within counseling, it is common for the therapist to structure the sessions and actively challenge the client in a collaborative manner. Within this working alliance, it is common to engage in active problem solving, come up with alternative ways of thinking and/or behaving, and commit to engaging in therapeutic homework (related to specific therapeutic goals) between sessions.

The idea is to gain a concrete and fact-based understanding of what thoughts and behaviors enable one to do well, so that those thoughts and behaviors can be strengthened through reinforcement and repetition. Maladaptive thoughts and behaviors are challenged through questioning their validity, seeking evidence for and against false beliefs, and actively testing out hypotheses that beliefs or situations are truly as they appear.