CBT

CBT offered in Ithaca, Orchard Park, Saratoga Springs and Binghamton, NY

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a widely used talk therapy proven to effectively treat many mental health and developmental disorders. The skilled team at Whole Wellness Counseling in Ithaca, New York and Orchard Park, New York, are experts in using CBT to help you identify and change the dysfunctional thoughts that lead to negative emotions and behaviors. Call the office today or connect online to request an appointment and learn how CBT can help you.

CBT Q&A

What is CBT?

Though there are several types of CBT, they’re all based on the principle that your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are connected.

Your thoughts and perceptions (cognitive processes) directly influence your feelings and behaviors. Difficulties arise when your thoughts are unrealistic or distorted. Distorted thoughts can trigger negative emotional and behavioral reactions.

CBT helps you recognize your thoughts and teaches you to compare them with the circumstances. This gives you time to adjust your thoughts, which then changes how you feel and, consequently, your reactions.

What mental health conditions are treated with CBT?

Your Whole Wellness Counseling therapist may recommend CBT to treat many conditions, including:

Anxiety
Mood disorders
Insomnia
Trauma
Substance abuse
Autism spectrum disorder
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

CBT is also an effective choice for parents to learn as a way to help their children. Therapists can teach parents the basics of CBT so that they can therapeutically support their children at home without disrupting a child’s school, social, or sports schedules. Learn more about Parent-guided CBT: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/10634266211028199

What are the different types of CBT?

CBT is a type of therapy and also an umbrella term encompassing other therapies based on the CBT approach, including:

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

DBT helps you learn skills for responding to strong emotions appropriately, communicating, and building relationships.

Trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT)

TF-CBT helps people confront and change negative thoughts and behaviors caused by trauma.

CBT for insomnia (CBT-I)

CBT-I focuses on teaching techniques that improve your ability to sleep, such as relaxation training and controlling negative thoughts.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

ACT teaches you to identify difficult emotions and decide if you can take action to change them or must learn to accept them. The goal is to stop repeating the same patterns.

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

REBT teaches you to identify and change self-defeating beliefs and thoughts.

Exposure and response prevention (ERP)

ERP treats severe anxiety and OCD by gradually exposing you to the things that trigger your fears.

What should I expect during CBT?

CBT is highly structured, typicallylimited to 12 to 24 sessions, and focuses on a behavior you want to improve.

Each type of CBT-based therapy differs, but for classic CBT, you typically have a worksheet to complete between each appointment, recording specific things that happen during the week.

Talking about your experiences recorded on the worksheet at each session helps you evaluate your thoughts, see patterns, and learn to change them.

Call Whole Wellness Counseling today or book an appointment online to learn more about CBT and how it can help you.