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Blog post written by Nicole Philpot
When anxiety, depression or obsessive compulsive patterns start interfering with daily life, it can start to feel heavy and isolating. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based approach that helps clients understand their thought/cognitive patterns and make meaningful change. CBT is also a modality that our clinicians work from.
How Does Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Work?
CBT is based upon the principle that our thoughts and behaviours are deeply connected, constantly influencing and shaping one another. By understanding the connection, clients can learn to notice patterns, challenge unhelpful thinking, and make meaningful changes in their lives. With CBT, there’s 3 levels of cognition:
- Conscious Thoughts: these are our rational thoughts and the deliberate choices that we notice and reflect on.
Example: “I’m nervous for the presentation, but I’ve prepared my speech and can practice beforehand to feel more confident”.
Conscious thoughts give us the opportunity to plan, problem solve, and response with intention rather than reacting impulsively. - Automatic Thoughts: these are quick, often unconscious thoughts that may not be fully accurate or helpful.
Example: You start a new project or hobby, and aren’t the best at it (yet!) but you say to yourself “I’m terrible at this!!”.
Automatic thoughts can trigger emotions and behaviours before we even realize it. This is why identifying and challenging them is a key component to CBT. - Schemas: these are deeply held core beliefs or personal rules that shape how we perceive experiences and respond to the world around us.
Example: “I must put others first”, “I can’t trust anyone”.
Schemas are often developed from early life experiences and influence the way our brains process information, make decisions, and relate to others. Identifying and reshaping unhelpful schemas can create long lasting change and help to respond to life with greater emotional flexibility.
By exploring conscious and automatic thoughts as well as schemas, CBT offers a clear path for clients to gain understanding of their minds, disrupt unhelpful patterns, and cultivate healthier ways of thinking and responding.
Who Can Benefit From Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
CBT is one of the most researched forms of psychotherapy. There’s been decades of studies and hundreds of clinical trials that examined it’s effectiveness across many different mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, and OCD. Research consistently shows that CBT can significantly reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety disorders, OCD, and other mental health concerns.
CBT can also be used to treat:
- Substance use disorders
- Bipolar disorder
- Eating disorders
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Schizophrenia and psychosis
- Panic disorder
- Negative self-talk
Changing the way we think and respond to challenges takes time, but cultivating meaningful change is possible! CBT helps people learn new ways to understand their thoughts, manage their emotions, and respond to challenges more effectively. Reaching out for support is a very powerful step toward building healthier patterns and improving your overall wellbeing.
For more information on CBT, please contact our office or click “Book An Appointment“ to schedule an initial consultation. Blog post edited by Kyrie Hemingson