What is CBT?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is an evidence-based approach based on the understanding that thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and behaviors are closely connected. The way a person interprets a situation can influence how they feel and respond, while repeated behaviors can strengthen or maintain patterns of anxiety, depression, avoidance, and low self-confidence.

In CBT, clients learn to recognize automatic thoughts, underlying beliefs (sometimes formed through trauma or are otherwise unhelpful), and behavioral habits that may be keeping them stuck. Therapy may involve examining the evidence for a thought, developing more balanced and realistic perspectives, practicing new coping skills, and gradually changing behaviors that reinforce distress.

CBT is active, collaborative, and goal-oriented. Depending on the client’s needs, sessions may include structured exercises, behavioral experiments, problem-solving, skills practice, and assignments between sessions. The goal is not to force positive thinking, but to help clients think more flexibly, respond more intentionally, and develop practical tools they can continue using outside of therapy.