How does Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) work?

I use CBT often in my practice. I feel it's very effective! Often, we just need an alternate perspective to help us make a different decision from what we were making!

Hello! My name is Cynthia but prefer Cindy. I live in the Southern Tier of NY with my dog and two cats (my office assistants!)

The first session involves A LOT of questions! I want to learn all about you; why you are coming to therapy; what you enjoy about your life as well as what you want to change. By the end of the first session, together we develop goals you would like to accomplish in therapy. These goals will include thoughts, feelings, and maybe even physical experiences of anxiety and distress you want to change. CBT uses data from our thoughts and our behaviors to help identify what is working and what may not be working. Through identification of both positive and negative core beliefs, together we can begin to alter your experience of the world around you and change your response to increase healthy behaviors and decrease negative experiences (i.e. anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, irritability, etc).

Dr. Heather Sheets has been a licensed clinical psychologist for 16 years with a doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from an APA approved education and training program. She completed an APA approved doctoral internship at the University of Notre Dame where she received a specialty in alcohol and substance assessment and treatment. Following her internship, Dr. Sheets completed formal post-doctoral training at Northwestern University where she further developed expertise in short-term therapy, mindfullness, ACT/CBT, and narrative therapy.

CBT is a great modality and has helped millions of people reach their goals. I use basic CBT to help clients start to recognize their thought patterns and choose how to reframe them for the better. It’s great for problem solving. If someone is dealing with deep rooted issues, CBT isn’t the best tool. So there are times when I choose other ways to help. But overall, CBT is an excellent resource and I’m happy to use it with clients who want to change their mindsets.

Stacy spent 17 years working with internationally competitive athletes before choosing to focus on mental health. She is trained complex trauma and evidence-based treatments for depression and anxiety such as EMDR, ACT, and CBT. Stacy has experience working with veterans, athletes and other high performers. Develop your own true grit and discover what you can really do today!

CBT is primarily a method of symptom reduction that helps in the shorter term but does very little to address the underlying causes. Integrating emotional works as well as insight building is necessary for more lasting relief. 

Welcome. I’m Dr. Gatta but if we work together please call me David. Good therapy is all about a trusting relationship. Over the course of my 13 year career I have had the privilege of working with a diverse group of people from college age students to senior citizens. My passion is helping people understand who they are, where they would like to go in life and what might be preventing those processes. From this standpoint my treatment philosophy is to address underlying causes rather than just symptoms. Doing so is the only way of achieving lasting substantive change. In order to do that I use a holistic approach, meaning I see each individual as a sum of their total life experiences together with their sociocultural contexts.  I have extensive experience working with family of origin issues, trauma, substance abuse, depression and life transitions (including grief and loss). My background is in clinical psychology where my doctoral dissertation explored dreaming as a theoretical form of thinking (cognition). I also have a background in neuroscience and the humanities . I have taught courses on trauma and recovery, addiction, grief and psychopathology. 

CBT is all about looking at the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is a very hands-on therapeutic intervention in that it requires the client and therapist to work together to identify existing cognitive distortions and develop strategies to challenge those thoughts. I think CBT is a very empowering intervention, as it puts the client back in the driver's seat of their own mind.

Hello! I'm Lucy Romo, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing remote counseling services to residents of California, Nevada, and Texas. I earned my Master of Social Work degree from California State University, Long Beach, and hold clinical licenses in CA, NV, and TX. 

CBT is a modality that I still use in therapy mostly with children and adolescents but it does work for all people. I have studied this model since college and used it as well for the past three years mostly with clients who experience lots of anxiety.

Hello, my name is Dormetra and I am an LPC in Houston, Texas. I am excited to have the opportunity to work with you and assist with your needs. I see children, adolescents, individuals, couples and families. I am also a certified sandtray therapist and I look forward to working with you.

CBT is a powerful tool that I use to help you become more aware of how your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings are all connected. Some people more easily identify thoughts while others more closely recognize feelings. Together, we can work to bring both to equal attention. The behavior part of CBT is immensely powerful as Behavioral Activation added to CBT allows you to influence your feelings and thoughts through action. This tends to be effective and keeps you from getting stuck in your head. My approach is guided by Internal Family Systems that sees us as having many aspects of ourselves that contribute to our thoughts, feelings, and actions. This avoids seeing any thought, behavior, or feeling as wholly negative and balances possible positive intentions. 

I am an LICSW practicing in RI and MA. Tele-health and walk-and-talk therapy are current options for counseling appointments. See my website at www.mindpathwellness.com for detailed information about my practice. 

I am trained in CBT and have used this approach along with others for over 30 years especially with anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Do you constantly worry? Do you overthink plans and solutions to worst-case outcomes so that you feel prepared? Does everything have to be done perfectly? Do you have difficulty handling uncertainty? Do you fear making the wrong decision? Do you feel restless? Difficulty with sleep? Do you move from relationship to relationship? Viktor Frankl said, “When we are no longer able to change a situation -we are challenged to change ourselves." He really knew what he was talking about. Each life transition inevitably forces us to navigate "stormy waters." If the challenge has become overwhelming, it's time to get some help. I specialize in helping those suffering from anxiety, including health care professionals and veterans. You don't have to continue suffering. You deserve to feel better. As a seasoned therapist, I can help you feel empowered to stop the cycle of worry and anxiety, find your sense of purpose, and reclaim your life. The good news is that we've all gone through seasons of our lives when we feel this way. The first step is to reach out to someone for help. My approach is straightforward: together we will identify your goals, establish a problem-solving treatment plan, and go from there. If something is telling you it's time to begin your journey; give me a call.

I weave CBT throughout psychotherapy. I think its one of the orientations that gives clients tangible direction. Many times people (myself included!) feel like they've cried and talked and nothing feels better- CBT gives you those daily exercises to practice and helps you feel you are being proactive. I also use DBT techniques (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) for clients interested a more structured, workbook focused therapy.

There is a lot of “noise” in our lives that challenges our sense of self, our direction, our place in this world that causes self-doubt and conflict (within ourselves and with others). Using a flexible, client-centered approach I focus on what parts of that “noise” the client seeks clarity with, and how to quiet that “noise” to finally hear yourself. We set goals for therapy together in a safe and affirming space. My private practice also includes a psychological concierge service for individuals navigating complex life crises that involving multiple entities (family/group, hospital/treatment facility, jail, court, private security services, attorneys). Call for a free consultation.