Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

CBT is a short-term (16 to 20 sessions) therapy that emphasizes the importance of our thinking in determining how we feel and what we do. This type of therapy focuses on the relationship between a person’s thoughts, behaviors, and feelings and the role that they play in a person’s symptoms, daily functioning and quality of life. By focusing on these three components, changes can be made in how a person thinks, acts and feels about his or her difficulties. The basic principle of CBT is that how a person thinks has a powerful effect on his or her emotions and behavior.

In CBT you will learn to understand the relations between what you are doing, what you are feeling and what you are thinking. Most people agree that what we do affects how we feel and what we think. If we succeed at something, we feel good and think “I am good!” If we fail, we feel bad and think “I am a loser!” The more we avoid and withdraw, the worse we feel, which usually leads to more withdrawal and avoiding. In addition, what we think affects how we feel and what we do. For example, if we think “I am a loser” we feel sad, defeated and hopeless. Such feelings usually result in social withdrawal and apathy.

In CBT you spend time talking about your feelings. In CBT it is important to understand strong feelings as well as the thoughts, assumptions, beliefs and behaviours associated with those feelings. In general, the presence of strong feelings usually means that the discussion is about something important. However, in CBT we do not challenge emotions. Feelings just “are.” Feelings are “true.” In contrast, thoughts, assumptions, beliefs and behaviours can be challenged and changed. In CBT you will spend time identifying and challenging the thoughts, assumptions and beliefs that contribute to your problems. You will be encouraged to experiment with testing new assumptions and beliefs. In addition, you will spend time challenging your old behaviour and experimenting with new behaviour.

CBT is much more than “talk therapy.” In addition to talking to your therapist about your problems, you will be asked to do homework each week. The amount of homework assigned varies but typically consist of ½ hour to 1 hour per day of some combination of monitoring your symptoms, monitoring your thoughts, challenging your beliefs and experimenting with new behaviour. In CBT your therapist acts as a “coach” who helps you to learn a variety of techniques that will help you to approach your problems in new ways.

CBT is problem-focused and focused on the “here and now” rather than the past. You and your therapist may spend some time discussing your past in order to better understand your current problems. However, the focus of therapy is on overcoming your current difficulties.

depressive disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety / social phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders. CBT is also helpful in teaching individuals pain management, stress management and relaxation techniques.

For most of mood and anxiety problems, CBT is at least as effective as medication. In addition, in the long term CBT is often more effective than medication in maintaining wellness and preventing relapse. However, many people benefit from a combination of medication and CBT. Often medication is used to provide some relief from symptoms and CBT is used to provide long-term strategies for getting well and staying well.