Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy commonly used to address depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and eating disorders, among other mental health concerns. At Garrett Counseling our team utilizes CBT at our locations in Albertville / Boaz, Huntsville, Jacksonville, Jasper, and online. CBT puts a special emphasis on identifying negative thinking patterns and changing negative behavior patterns. The American Psychological Association reports that many studies prove that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy leads to significant improvements in quality of life.
Identifying Negative Thinking Patterns
One of the focuses of CBT is to uncover a client’s negative thinking patterns. Often, this process would look something like this:
- Learn to recognize unhealthy thoughts and regrame them.
- Learn to understand other’s behavior and motivations.
- Learn problem solving and coping skills.
- Learn to have a healthier view and confidence of oneself.
Changing Negative Behavior Patterns
A second focus of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is to change a client’s negative behavior patterns. Some ways a therapist and client might work together to do this:
- Work toward facing fears instead of avoiding them.
- Utilize role playing as a tool to prepare for interactions with others.
- Learn skills to calm and relax the mind and body.
Benefits Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT provides many benefits to the person engaging in this type of therapy. A few benefits that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is known to provide include:
- Short Time Frame: Psychology Today reports that participants can often see improvements in 5-20 sessions.
- Effective Across Different Settings: CBT can be used effectively in the therapeutic setting both in-person and via telehealth.
- Treats A Wide Range Of Mental Health Concerns: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used to treat a large number of mental health concerns. It can be effective for treating substance use concerns, anxiety, depression, phobias, grief, stress, and more.
What The Garrett Counseling Team Says About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
We asked one of our team members to share their thoughts on CBT and how they utilize it in their sessions with clients:
“I believe that dysfunctional thinking leads to dysfunctional emotions or behaviors, so I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in my sessions to assist clients in changing their thoughts in order to change how they feel and make better choices.” – Caroline Allen-Ross, MS, LPC
Schedule Your First Session Today
If Cognitive Behavioral Therapy sounds like something you or a loved one might be interested in, we encourage you to contact us to learn more about our process or to schedule an appointment. We serve Alabama with convenient locations in Albertville / Boaz, Huntsville, Jacksonville, and Jasper. We also offer telehealth options.