Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a well-researched, practice approach to therapy that helps you understand the connection between you thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The idea behind CBT is simple but powerful: the way we think about situations influences how we feel and how we respond. When certain thought patterns become unhelpful or distorted, they can keep us stuck in cycles of anxiety, low mood, or unhealthy behaviors.

CBT focuses on helping you recognize these patterns and learn new ways of responding that are more balanced, realistic, and supportive of your well-being. Rather than staying stuck in automatic reactions, you’ll begin to develop more awareness, flexibility, and choice in how you navigate challenges.

In therapy, CBT is an active and collaborative process. Together, we’ll explore the patterns that may be contributing to your distress and work on building practical skills you can use in your everyday life. This may include learning how to identify and challenge cognitive distortions - such as worst-case thinking, self-criticism, all or nothing thinking, magical thinking - while also strengthening skills like problem solving, emotional regulation, and effective communication.

Common Cognitive Distortions

1. All-or-Nothing Thinking: Seeing thigs in black- and- white terms (e.g., “If I’m not perfect, I’ve failed”.

2. Overgeneralization: Taking one negative experience and applying it broadly (e.g., “This always happens to me”).

3. Mental Filter: Focusing only on the negative and ignoring the positive.

4. Discounting the Positive: Dismissing positive experiences or achievements as unimportant.

5. Jumping to Conclusions: Making assumptions without enough evidence (includes “mind reading” and “fortune telling”).

6. Catastrophizing: Expecting the worst possible outcome.

7. Emotional Reasoning: Believing something is true because it feels true (e.g., “I feel anxious, so something must be wrong”).

8. “Should” Statements: Holding rigid rules about how you or others “should” behave.

9. Labeling: Defining yourself or others by a single trait or mistake (e.g., “I am a failure”).

10. Personalization: Taking excessive responsibility for things outside of your control (e.g., self-blame, others-blame).

    How CBT Works

CBT combines both cognitive (thought-based) and behavioral (action-based) strategies. You’ll learn how to notice unhelpful thinking patterns and gently question them, creating space for more realistic and helpful perspectives. At the same time, we’ll focus on behavior change - helping you take meaningful steps forward, even when it feels difficult. A key part of CBT is skill-building. You’ll develop tools to better manage stress, regulate emotions, communicate more clearly, and respond to challenges with greater confidence. These skills are practical and meant to be used in your daily life, helping you create lasting change over time.