COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY (CBT)

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is designed to help you understand how your perceptions of situations influence your emotions and behaviors. CBT’s evidence based techniques will teach you to identify your patterns of thinking, as well as your unique behavioral and emotional responses. In our work together you will learn to implement a series of tools to address your specific symptoms. Once you have mastered these tools, you will add them to your tool belt. This means that the next time a problem arises, you have the tools you need to address it. CBT has been demonstrated to be effective for numerous issues including depression, anxiety, stress, self esteem, body image, grief and loss.

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

People experience feelings of sadness and worry throughout their lives. This can be in response to life events like the death of a loved one, a challenging relationship, a stressful work situation, retirement, etc.  When low mood or high anxiety interferes with the ability to engage in day to day life, it may be indicative of a mood or anxiety disorder. It is not uncommon for someone to have an anxiety disorder and suffer from depression and vice versa. Both the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) in the United States and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom recommend Cognitive Behavior Therapy as the first line psychological treatment for anxiety and depression.

STRESS

Stress is a normal, human response to situations perceived as threat laden. When this happens the fight or flight response kicks in. In some cases, the right amount of stress can improve performance (think of cramming for an exam). However, when stress levels remain high over long periods of time, it can become detrimental to mental and physical health. You can learn strategies to anticipate and respond to symptoms of stress before they get out of hand.

LOW SELF ESTEEM

The way we think about ourselves and give ourselves feedback (e.g. "I sounded so stupid in that meeting, everyone is going to think I'm a moron") has implications for our emotional state and our behavior.  For some people this occurs in the context of a longstanding pattern of self- defeating thoughts.  This may impact one’s sense of self-worth and  self-confidence.  You can learn to change these patterns and thereby increase self-esteem.

RELATIONSHIPS

The way we interact with our friends, family, and co-workers can provide a sense of community.  Sometimes one finds oneself in a challenging relationship.  In these cases Cognitive Behavior Therapy can be useful to address various themes such as improving communication skills and enhancing assertiveness.

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