Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Practical, skills-based therapy for changing the patterns of thinking and behavior that keep you stuck.
What it is
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on how your thoughts, feelings and actions affect one another. A thought like "I'll embarrass myself" leads to anxiety, the anxiety leads to avoiding the situation, and avoiding it makes the next time harder. By noticing those links, you can change the patterns that aren't working.
CBT has strong research support for depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, substance use, eating disorders and more. It mostly focuses on what is happening in your life now, though past experiences come up when they help explain a pattern. You and your therapist work together to test unhelpful thoughts against the evidence and try out new ways of responding.
Skills you can build
- Catching unhelpful thoughts as they happen
- Weighing the evidence for and against a worry
- Breaking big problems into steps
- Facing avoided situations gradually
- Planning activities that lift your mood
- Calming your body when stress spikes
CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I)
CBT-I is a structured program for chronic sleep problems and the recommended first treatment for insomnia. Read about CBT for Insomnia.
What sessions look like
Sessions are structured and active. You and your therapist set clear goals, learn specific skills and practice them between sessions, often with short worksheets or tracking. Many people notice progress within a few months.
It matters that you feel comfortable with your therapist. CBT is collaborative, and you'll always have a say in what you work on and how fast.
You don't need to pick an approach
If you have a preference, mention it when you request an appointment and we'll match you with a clinician who uses it. Every person responds to different things, so your clinician may combine approaches, with or without medication.
