What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
When you are upset, angry, or panicked and someone tells you to "cheer up", "calm down", or "relax", it usually ends up having the opposite effect, right? That's because you cannot actively change your emotions. Does that mean you are stuck with these unpleasant feelings? Absolutely not.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the empirically proven practice of identifying your unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and working to modify them. The result? A change in your emotions. In CBT, your therapist will introduce cognitive and behavioral skills as well as relaxation techniques that, combined, will give you the power to change the way you feel and break free of negative patterns.
For a more thorough explanation of CBT, please visit the website for the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
What can I expect in a CBT session?
You and Lisa will spend one to two sessions discussing you, your background, and what prompted you to seek therapy. She will explain the specifics of CBT and how it applies to you. From that point on, each session will be structured the same way. It will begin with a brief check-in followed by agenda setting. What is agenda setting? CBT, unlike many other forms of therapy, is very structured. Setting an agenda allows you and your therapist to prioritize what both of you feel is most important to discuss that week. If something on the agenda doesn't make it into that week's session, it is put on the agenda for the following week so that it is not forgotten.
Once you set the agenda, you and Lisa will review your homework. Homework?!? Don't worry, you won't get graded on this. Each week, Lisa will introduce a new tool. Your homework will be to test out that tool in your everyday life over the course of the week, then report back the following week about what worked and what didn't. Together, you and Lisa will problem-solve to fix anything that didn't work.
Finally, you and Lisa will review everything that was discussed that session to ensure that you don't walk out with your head spinning. Lisa will always have a pad of paper and a pen available for you to take notes if you wish. However, she recommends bringing your own notebook and a folder to keep all of the handouts she will be giving you throughout treatment.
Once you set the agenda, you and Lisa will review your homework. Homework?!? Don't worry, you won't get graded on this. Each week, Lisa will introduce a new tool. Your homework will be to test out that tool in your everyday life over the course of the week, then report back the following week about what worked and what didn't. Together, you and Lisa will problem-solve to fix anything that didn't work.
Finally, you and Lisa will review everything that was discussed that session to ensure that you don't walk out with your head spinning. Lisa will always have a pad of paper and a pen available for you to take notes if you wish. However, she recommends bringing your own notebook and a folder to keep all of the handouts she will be giving you throughout treatment.
Can therapy really help me? I've already over-analyzed everything in my life!
The simple answer? "YES!"
The beauty of CBT is that it is perfect for those of you with analytical minds who have already spent way too long ruminating on every detail of how your problem came to be. CBT does not focus on the past. It is important to understand the past, but the focus is on the present and figuring out what is currently going wrong and how to fix it.
The beauty of CBT is that it is perfect for those of you with analytical minds who have already spent way too long ruminating on every detail of how your problem came to be. CBT does not focus on the past. It is important to understand the past, but the focus is on the present and figuring out what is currently going wrong and how to fix it.
Will I have to lie on a couch and tell you all my problems?
Lisa does have a very comfortable couch in her office, but you will not be lying on it (except maybe during relaxation exercises). CBT is incredibly collaborative. You will not spend 50 minutes venting to a silent therapist, nor will you spend 50 minutes listening to a therapist telling you what to do. CBT is a conversation. You and Lisa will be on the same team, and together, you will work to improve your life.
How long is therapy?
Each session is 50 minutes long. Lisa typically sees clients once a week, though clients do have the option to book double sessions if they would like more time. Eventually, depending on your schedule, Lisa might extend the time in between sessions to every other week or once a month. The goal of CBT is to train you to become your own therapist, so CBT is relatively short-term, lasting a few months to a few years, depending on the presenting problem. Once you terminate treatment, you are always welcome to come back in for a "tune-up".