Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (CBT)

What are Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (CBT)?

Cognitive and Behavior therapies (CBT) represent a broad range of evidence-based psychotherapies that target emotions, cognitions, and behaviors and have been shown to be effective in preventing and treating symptoms and suffering caused by a range of psychological states and conditions, across ages and across multiple settings.

CBT is structured, problem-focused, and time-limited. The CBT therapist works collaboratively with the client and uses specific techniques to improve the client’s well-being and overall functioning. Through CBT, clients engage in self-exploration and learn specialized skills to manage emotions, overcome problems, improve quality of life, and achieve valued life goals.

CBT is based on the premise that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence each other, and in doing so, bring on and maintain negative emotions and lead to problems. Accordingly, CBT approaches prevent and treat psychological problems by targeting three main areas to help clients:

1. Identify and label emotions and learn many strategies to accept and regulate emotions.

2. Become aware and learn a variety of skills to accept and change unhelpful thoughts that maintain negative emotions and behaviors.

3. Become aware and learn a variety of skills to change unhelpful behaviors that maintain problematic thoughts and emotions and prevent clients from leading fulfilling lives.

Compassionate, Evidence-based Psychotherapy Treatments

CBC’s Cognitive and Behavior Therapies Programs (CBT) are compassionate, evidence-based psychotherapy treatments for individuals with a wide range of problems such as stress, anxiety, OCD, trauma, PTSD, depression, habits, attentional and behavioral problems, avoidance behaviors, parent-child conflicts, couple conflicts, and more. We believe that clients need an environment of serenity, compassion, non-judgment, and support in order to grow and change.

At CBC, we offer Cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT) across the life span (pre-school, elementary and middle school children, adolescents, young adults, and adults) in weekly and/or intensive formats to individuals, groups, couples, parents, and families.

CBC Co-founder Dr. Lata K. McGinn has spent her career researching and conducting CBT to understand, prevent, and treat stress, the full range of anxiety problems, depression, OCD, trauma and PTSD, and couple conflicts. She has also developed an innovative, evidence-based CBT program to prevent depression and anxiety and has co-authored two leading books and multiple journal articles. CBC clinicians bring the same commitment to science-based practice, have highly specialized expertise in a variety of CBT treatments, and stay up to date with the latest cutting-edge advances in CBT to help clients manage stress, prevent, and overcome problems, and reach life goals.

New clients meet with a CBC therapist to discuss their goals and receive an initial clinical intake evaluation to help develop a treatment plan and format that is right for them. CBC therapists will make specific recommendations from our large array of unique and specialized weekly and intensive CBT services and programs for individual, parent, couple, family, and group therapies, including but not limited to, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Behavior Therapy (BT), Behavior Modification (BM), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), CBT Marital Therapy (CBT-MT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Cognitive Therapy (CT), Executive Functioning (EF), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Habit Reversal Therapy (HRT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Parent Management Therapy (PMT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for SM (PCIT—SM), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Psychological First Aid, and more. Click here to learn more about conditions we treat, and about our wellness and treatment services.

CBT is an Effective Method of Treatment for a Variety of Conditions

Thousands of research studies conducted by researchers across the world have shown that CBT is effective in addressing a wide range of problems in children, adolescents, and adults, including depression, anxiety and related disorders (e.g., stress, social anxiety, specific phobias, panic disorder, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, separation anxiety, selective mutism, school refusal), anger problems, problems of inattention, impulsivity or defiance (e.g., ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder), habit disorders (e.g., trichotillomania, skin picking), procrastination, difficulties in problem solving or decision making, social skills problems, somatic problems (e.g., somatic symptom disorder, illness anxiety disorder), thought disorders, eating disorders (e.g., ARFID, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating), and family/relationship problems. Importantly, CBT has demonstrated success when administered alone, and in combination with medication. Furthermore, research has demonstrated that people who undergo CBT maintain their gains over time even after they stop therapy.