Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a structured, collaborative, goal-oriented psychotherapy that focuses on current symptoms, and teaches specific skills and strategies for managing them.

By focusing on the interaction between a person's thinking patterns, behaviors, and emotions, CBT combines cognitive and behavioral strategies into a powerful treatment for anxiety, depression, and various behavioral problems (e.g., obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias, etc.)

• Cognitive techniques teach ways to alter unhealthy and inaccurate thinking patterns, beliefs and attitudes that are tied to feelings of distress and unhealthy behaviors.
• Behavioral techniques teach ways to break connections between challenging situations (such as public speaking) and unhealthy reactions to them (such as fear and avoidance).

CBT is active, relatively brief, and often involves "homework" assignments to practice therapy skills.