Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In short, how we think about a given situation affects the way we feel and how we are likely to respond. When we are under psychological distress, our minds often rely on thoughts that are unrealistic, distorted, and unhelpful. This skewed interpretation can increase our distress and negatively impact the actions we take.

CBT is an active form of psychotherapy that focuses on increasing awareness of these skewed thoughts and the impact they have on your emotions and behaviors. At Aviva Psychology Services, our CBT trained therapists work actively with clients to target these maladaptive thinking patterns.

When working within a CBT model, you and your therapist will decide on therapeutic goals to work towards. To achieve those goals, you and your therapist will work to modify your way of thinking, improve your ability to cope, and minimize the impact of thoughts on emotions and behavior. Part of this process involves viewing such negative beliefs as hypotheses to be tested, rather than as ultimate truths. Both in session and outside of session, you will begin to "run experiments" to test these hypotheses. Like any good scientist, keeping track of your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and the interaction between the three will be important data collection that you and your therapist can use to better understand you and make meaningful changes.

CBT is one of the most widely studied forms of psychotherapy and has been shown to be effective in the treatment of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse disorders, sleep disorders and psychotic disorders. In fact, CBT has been shown to have the same long-term benefits as medications for depression and has been shown to be more effective in relapse prevention.

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If you would like to begin CBT treatment at Aviva Psychology Services, please request an appointment.