Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced based treatment utilized by psychotherapists to treat depression and anxiety. CBT focuses on the connection between our thoughts, feelings and behavior. When we shift one of these, we inevitably create a ripple effect on all of them.
Depression and Anxiety affect our thoughts, feelings and behavior. Many clients come to therapy with symptoms such as low self-esteem, self-blaming thoughts, excessive fear and worry, feelings of sadness and despair, low energy and motivation, difficulty sleeping, avoiding school or social situations, etc. Sometimes these symptoms are brand new and sometimes they have been a long standing issue. Therapists are trained to assess the problem and provide treatment through talk therapy.
The first step in therapy will be to learn about you and your symptoms. One size does not fit all in therapy. It is important that your therapist gets to know you as a whole person, including strengths and vulnerabilities, what has and hasn’t worked in the past, and possible contributing life events such as trauma. Their job is to create a safe, non-judgemental space for clients to open up about their feelings and their struggles.
Next, therapists provide education about how brains work. Most of what we think, feel and do are automatic patterns that become habits over time. A therapist can teach you how to train your brain differently to interrupt those patterns and provide fresh hope and strategies for managing symptoms.
Lastly, a therapist will act as a coach. As you learn strategies to improve your symptoms, your therapist will continue to check in with you on how implementation is going. There is usually a process of trial and error while figuring out what strategies will work for each unique person.
Research shows that CBT alone is 50-75% effective for overcoming depression and anxiety in 5-20 sessions. In some cases, adding medication and/or making nutritional changes improves the effectiveness of therapy. If you do not reach the desired outcome with therapy alone, a referral can be given to a medication prescriber or a holistic health coach when desired by the client.
Teamer Counseling specializes in the treatment of anxiety and depression through the use of CBT. Our providers are all masters level therapists with experience treating a variety of populations including kids, teens, college students, parents, professionals, LGBTQ+, trauma survivors, etc.