What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?
At Thriveworks, Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a widely recognized and evidence-based form of psychotherapy or talk therapy. It focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns, emotions, and behaviors that can contribute to various mental health issues or challenges that people are struggling with.
What does a cognitive behavioral therapist do?
Cognitive behavioral therapists specialize in Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and can help you to identify and comprehend your thought patterns, which often encompass automatic negative thoughts, cognitive distortions, and self-defeating beliefs. Once these negative thought patterns are pinpointed, cognitive behavioral therapists aim to challenge and replace them with the objective of fostering more constructive and logical thinking. In addition, these therapists place significant emphasis on implementing positive behavioral changes based on the newly established, healthier thought patterns.
What is CBT best for?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is particularly effective for addressing conditions like anxiety disorders, depression, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. It focuses on identifying and modifying negative thought patterns and behaviors, making it well-suited for issues related to distorted thinking and emotional regulation.
How much does a CBT session cost?
At Thriveworks, we accept most major insurance plans, allowing many clients to pay as little as $0–$50 per session with their co-pay. We also offer self-pay options for those out-of-network or without insurance. Self-pay rates for talk therapy range from $160 to $240 for intake sessions and $135 to $195 for follow-ups, depending on your state. For psychiatry services, self-pay intake sessions are $255–$375, with follow-ups ranging from $175–$300, also varying by state. More information on current self-pay costs is available on our pricing page.
What is the success rate of CBT?
The success rate of CBT varies depending on the intentions of the client and their condition(s).
What is better: CBT or DBT?
The selection between cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is based on an individual’s unique needs and challenges. CBT is commonly chosen for addressing conditions such as anxiety and depression, whereas DBT is especially beneficial for individuals dealing with borderline personality disorder, emotional regulation issues, and difficulties in interpersonal relationships.
Is CBT conducted in person or online?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with our Thriveworks therapists in Westborough, MA is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
How many sessions is CBT?
Generally, CBT is considered a short-term therapy, typically lasting for about 12 to 20 weekly sessions. In some cases, it might extend to around 16 to 20 sessions for more complex issues.
Need more help deciding?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy—Counseling in Westborough, MA
People have significant power to make choose, respond, and change, and CBT can show them how. Often, the process begins by confronting those cognitive distortions. When people change their thinking, they can often change their lives. CBT gives people instructions for doing just that.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is offered at Thriveworks Counseling in Westborough, and our staff has helped many clients make meaningful changes in their lives through changing their negative and untrue thinking.
What Are Cognitive Distortions?
The following lists common cognitive distortions. Do you recognize any?
- Overgeneralization uses one experience to make a universal principle that is applied in situations that may or may not be connected.
- Emotional reasoning equates one’s internal feelings with the external reality. Just because someone feels guilty, this feeling does not automatically mean they have done something wrong.
- Polarized thinking draws strict lines of black-and-white and either-or. There is no room for grey, shades, or in-betweens.
- Blaming sees the world according to fault. Every situation must have someone to blame.
- Catastrophizing sees the worst coming. Every setback or hurdle is a sign of impending doom.
- Control fallacy either people over-exert control, like when a codependent spouse tries to make her husband stop drinking, or people feel out-of-control, blaming luck, fate, or the universe for their own choices.
- Filtering disregards anything good, positive, or beneficial. These are strained out so that people only see the negative.
- Fallacy of fairness occurs when people compare and contrast their lives with others, using an arbitrary measure of fairness.
How Might Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Help?
One example of how cognitive behavioral therapy works is the three-column technique. This is but one technique that therapists can use to achieve CBT’s overall goal: to adjust cognitive distortions so that people have more truthful, positive thinking patterns. In the three-column technique, clients draw three columns on a blank piece of paper.
- In the first column, clients record the circumstances of a particular situation they are dealing with. They may write that their child came home with a bad grade in school.
- In the second column, clients will record what they are thinking about this situation. In this example, a client may write that they think that they have failed their child, and they feel like a bad parent. In this column, clients will also write the cognitive distortion this thinking may have. In this case, it would be overgeneralization and the control fallacy.
- In the third column, clients will write a different response, one that more accurately reflects reality. This client may write that their child is overall a good student, and that one grade does not determine a person’s intelligence. They may also write that their child is a teenager and responsible for studying. They have done their best to teach their child good study habits, but it is the child’s responsibility to complete a particular assignment.
Thriveworks Counseling in Westborough—Appointments for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Therapists use CBT as they form treatment plans for a number of mental health challenges, including,
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Anxiety
- Anger management
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Self-mutilation
- Relationship issues
- Drug and/or alcohol addiction
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- General health issues
- Insomnia
- Self-destructive habits
- Child and adolescent issues
If you are ready to try cognitive behavioral therapy, Thriveworks Counseling in Westborough has counselors who are ready to help. When you contact our office, you may have your first appointment within the same week. We do not maintain a waitlist, but we do offer weekend and evening sessions. We also accept most insurance plans. Call Thriveworks in Westborough today.
