Individual Therapies

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

If you can change your thoughts, you can change your behaviors! Cognitive behavior therapy is based on a cognitive model: how we perceive situations influences how we feel emotionally. Often when we are in distress, our thoughts become distorted and our perspective on life is inaccurate and unrealistic. The critical component to CBT is: "What is going through your mind right now?"

Often you or I will think something about others or ourselves that we truly believe, but for which we don't have any concrete evidence to support that conclusion. "I will never get married!" Your remark is an example of catastrophic overgeneralization thinking. In cognitive-behavioral therapy, I would ask you:

"What evidence do you have that you will never get married? "
"I‘m already 37, and I'm not married!"
"Do you know anyone your age who is happy, yet not married?"
"Yes, a number of my friends are not married."
"But today at the age of 37 you are concluding that because you are not engaged or married, you will never get married!"
"Have you been in relationships before, and are you in one now?"
"How is that going?"
"We've been together for three years, and we talked about getting married."
"So your conclusion is based on a false catastrophic belief for which you have no concrete evidence."

We will collaborate with each other to identify dysfunctional thoughts that often are emotional reactions to a current situation that leaves you anxious, depressed, and stuck. Through the use of homework assignments, I will help you identify your "stinkin thinkin," and come up with new cognitive and behavioral strategies to help you feel in control of your life and effect positive change.