What is CBT and why is my doc telling me I need it?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy. One feature that distinguishes CBT from other forms of therapy is that your CBT therapist will likely spend more time engaging and contributing to your process than you might expect, and they will give you feedback and goal support during every session (while still being flexible and responsive to personal needs). If you’ve ever found yourself spending a lot of time thinking through the same problem again and again, or coming up against the same or similar challenges on a daily basis, you might benefit from CBT.
CBT will help you to learn about the things that have been troubling you, while also helping you to learn how to cope with the complications of those troubles. The final goal of CBT is for you to learn how to approach your life feeling skilled and capable to handle challenges, and to be fully engaged in the experience of living meaningfully even when events are hard.
What Can I Expect?
After intake, your first CBT session will introduce you to the terms and concepts that create the CBT framework. Don’t worry there’s no test! The more you know, the more you can take control of your wellness journey. Your therapist will help you to see your current concerns and struggles using this framework, help you to set some specific goals or areas of focus, and suggest pathways to reach those goals using specific tools and strategies.
Your process is at the speed and investment that is right for you. If you’re open to it, you may leave your session with worksheets or cheat sheets to guide you through your home-practice of CBT skills. Your therapist will provide you with skills and information that will allow you to see your helpful styles of thinking and behaving while introducing opportunities to challenge any unhelpful thoughts and actions.
Your therapist will also help you to understand that while your emotional state cannot be directly changed, it is influenced by your behaviours, your thoughts, and events that happen around you. Recognizing that you have control of your own reactions, puts you in the driver's seat to navigate your metal health to your full potential.
(Have you ever had someone say: “Calm Down!” When you were feeling stressed and emotional? Did it help? Probably not! This is an example of how NOT to try and shift an emotional state)
Why Does my Doctor think I need CBT?
CBT is a well researched and highly effective form of therapy; it has been proven to help people manage symptoms of Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Stress and Trauma Disorders/Injuries, and Chronic Illnesses and Pain. CBT is also helpful for people who do not have a specific disorder or illness, but are still suffering from complications related to stress, grief/loss, abuse/trauma, and many other stressors that impact us all. CBT is typically a short-duration form of therapy: meaning you can expect to have improved tools and wellness strategies very early in your therapy journey.
Ashley is a therapist at Thrive Collective and in addition to many approaches she utilizes, she does offer CBT therapy. You can learn more about Ashley and her practice here.