Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) examines how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. CBT changes patterns of distorted thinking and unhelpful behaviors to improve mood, anxiety, and other psychological issues. Unlike many other types of therapy, CBT is more active and problem-solving oriented, collaborative, and shorter-term. CBT has consistently shown to be effective across hundreds of clinical research trials, and is considered the gold-standard treatment for many different disorders, such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anxiety disorders. We believe that therapy shouldn’t be a mystery– a key part of our work is teaching you how to use CBT strategies and skills so that you can effectively manage your emotions for the rest of your life.
Several different types of therapies fall under the umbrella of CBT. These therapies target specific problems and include the following:
Exposure Therapy is an effective and evidence-based practice for anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders. This therapy involves systematically increasing tolerance to feared situations or things while changing unhelpful behavior patterns. This category of therapies includes Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for obsessive compulsive disorder, Prolonged Exposure (PE) for adults with PTSD, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for children and adolescents struggling with coping around traumatic experiences.
CBT for depression, anxiety, eating concerns, and stress management. CBT is an evidence-based and effective treatment for each of these conditions, focused on making long-term improvements in mood, feelings, and day-to-day functioning. This therapy teaches individuals to examine how their patterns of thinking, behaviors, and emotions interact and influence their experiences and symptoms.
Comprehensive Behavioral Treatment (ComB model) is a recently developed treatment for hair-pulling (trichotillomania), skin-picking (excoriation), and other body-focused repetitive behaviors. ComB involves modifying thoughts and feelings contributing to the problem and replacing deeply entrenched behaviors, such as pulling or picking, with helpful alternatives, including habit reversal training techniques.