Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the important role of thinking in how we feel and what we do. The focus of CBT is not on your past experience, but on how you interpret occurring events in your life now. CBT helps clients recognize what they are thinking about their experiences, recognize distortions in that thinking that contribute to their problems, and how they can change their thinking to lead to less emotional distress and more appropriate actions. CBT is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events. In therapy you will work together with your therapist to identify personal goals that are meaningful for you; then develop a plan to achieve those goals.

Learning objectives:

-List and explain the general process followed by CBT.

-Apply techniques for implementing emotional coping strategies.

-Explain the role of acceptance and mindfulness in therapeutic change processes.

-Identify current obstacles to goal attainment.

-Evaluate which cognitive/emotional barriers to goal attainment.