Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Right for You?

Have you ever paid attention to the chatter or thoughts that go on daily in your mind? If your thoughts  include taking things personally, lots of “should’s” and “ought to’s”, getting stuck on the worst possible case scenario, very black and white thinking, putting yourself at fault if things not in your control turn out wrong or mistaking your feelings for reality than Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, just may be the thing for you.

These types of thought patterns, or “cognitive distortions” can lead to depression, anxiety, insomnia, stress, low self-esteem as well as a host of other problems that can really have a negative impact on the quality of your life.   Utilizing a cognitive behavioral approach, both you and your therapist will identify the problem areas in your life, look at your thought patterns and emotional beliefs stemming from those thought patterns and develop a plan to reshape negative or inaccurate thinking.

How does this help you?  It’s fairly simple but very powerful.  When we can identify and change our inaccurate thinking, our actions and how we deal with the world around us changes in dramatically positive ways.  Thoughts truly are the things that govern our behavior.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy sessions are also very structured.  Although the content is usually different, the structure of the session is always the same so there really are no surprises.   If you’re somebody that requires a bit of motivation to get moving, than you will really appreciate how CBT develops specific action plans that lead to very achievable goals.  We all know how good it feels to reach our goals and there truly is nothing better to keep our engines running.  To engage you and keep you interested in the process between sessions, you will more than likely leave the session with a bit of “homework” to do.  In essence, the therapy doesn’t occur just in the office, it’s brought into your daily life to enable you to really engage with it.

Lastly, CBT is a very short term therapy — you will not be taking up residence on your therapist’s couch for the next 5 years.   It is usually completed in 15 – 20 sessions.

So, if you’re looking for an efficient structured therapy that  keeps you motivated and engaged in the process, while at the same time teaches you how to let go of negative thoughts and beliefs resulting in a healthier way of looking at yourself and the world around you, than Cognitive Behavioral Therapy just may be exactly what you’re looking for.