Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT is a short-term, problem-focused form of behavioral treatment that helps people see the difference between beliefs, thoughts and feelings, and free them from unhelpful patterns of behavior.
CBT is grounded in the belief that it is a person’s perception of events – rather than the events themselves – that determines how he or she will feel and act in response.
CBT can help with:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Phobias
- Obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD)
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Substance dependency
- Persistent pain
- Disordered eating
- Sexual issues
- Anger management issues
Most people with clearly defined behavioral and emotional concerns tend to reap the benefits of CBT. If any of the above issues resonate with you, I encourage you to try cognitive behavioral therapy.
With CBT, you’ll be able to adjust the thoughts that directly influence your emotions and behavior. This adjustment process is referred to as cognitive reconstructing, which happens through different CBT techniques.
Some CBT techniques are:
- Journaling
- Challenging beliefs
- Relaxation
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Social, physical and thinking exercises
Cognitive behavioral therapy is much more than sitting and talking about whatever comes to mind during a session. CBT sessions are structured to ensure that the therapist and the person in treatment are focused on the different goals of each session, which in turn ensures that each and every session is productive.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MCBT)
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy, or MBCT, is designed for people who suffer repeated bouts of depression or chronic unhappiness. It combines the ideas of cognitive therapy with meditative practices and attitudes based on the cultivation of mindfulness.
Recent research has also shown that people who have been clinically depressed three or more times in their life find that learning mindfulness-based skills helps to considerably reduce their chances of depression returning.
What does MBCT help treat?
- Depression and anxiety
- Food and eating issues
- Low mood and negative thoughts
- Body sensations such as weariness and sluggishness
- Psychosis
If you can relate to any of the above issues, mindfulness-based therapy may be right for you. MBCT helps people separate themselves from their thoughts and moods and teaches them how to recognize their sense of being, and aims to give participants the necessary tools to combat depressive symptoms as they arise.
Evidence indicates that mindfulness-based therapy may reduce the rate of depressive relapse by 50%. If you or someone you know will benefit from mindfulness-based therapy, please contact me today for a free consultation. I would be happy to speak with you about how I may be able to help.
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)
If you or someone you know would benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy, please contact me today. I would be happy to speak with you about how I may be able to help.
Do you find it hard to control your emotions? Do your emotions often dictate your response? Do you wish you had the techniques to harness your emotions and move forward with your life?
If you answered yes to any of the above, I encourage you to explore Emotion-Focused Therapy, or EFT.
EFT is an approach to therapy treatment based on the premise that our emotions are a key to our identity and a guide for decision making. When we lack awareness of our emotions or avoid unpleasant emotions, we are unable to use the information provided by these emotions.
EFT helps individuals to:
- Become more aware of their emotions
- Welcome, allow and regulate emotions
- Describe emotions clearly and in detail
- Evaluate whether the emotions are helpful or hurtful
- Identify the source of unhelpful emotions
- Develop alternative, healthy ways of coping with situations that often elicit hurtful emotions
Unlike other therapeutic approaches, EFT assumes that emotion can be a source of healing and works with specific emotions to increase adaptation.
If you are seeking help identifying, utilizing and processing your emotions, we encourage you to contact the EFT Therapists, Dr. David Hall or Karen Forman, today. Together, we’ll work on increasing awareness of emotions, separating useful from hurtful emotions and using healthy emotions to guide action.
Contact us today. We look forward to speaking with you about how we can help.