Cognitive Behavior Therapy
What Happens During Therapy?
After the initial consultation, if we feel that you could benefit from cognitive behavior therapy, we will begin with one or more sessions per week, depending upon the severity of the problem or the urgency of your goal.
Each session involves:
Setting the Session Agenda
Together we will decide upon topics to be discussed and techniques to be learned during the session.
Cognitive Techniques
These include learning how to identify and change ways of thinking that affect your mood or stand between you and your goals. Both standard Beckian and Ellisian cognitive therapy techniques (e.g., rational disputation) and Youngian schema-focused cognitive therapy techniques may be employed (e.g., schema imagery, involving interactions that you had as a child with significant others).
Behavioral Techniques
These include learning diaphragmatic breathing and progressive muscle relaxation; constructing a fear hierarchy and gradually beginning to do the things that scare you (behavioral exposure for phobias and panic disorder); developing interests and hobbies and reorganizing the proportion of enjoyable to unpleasant activities in your life (pleasant activity scheduling); exposure and response prevention for obsessions and compulsions; reducing the use of avoidance strategies that are limiting you enjoyment of life; and role-playing difficult interpersonal situations.
Planning Between-Session Activities
These are a very important component of cognitive behavior therapy. The more you engage in therapeutic thinking and behaving between sessions, the more likely you are to achieve your goals in a timely manner. Some examples are keeping a record of your thoughts, feelings or behaviors in order to develop self-awareness; practicing relaxation techniques and meditation; speaking with your partner, friend or colleague in a manner discussed during the session; reading a book that focuses on your particular difficulties; or taking specific steps toward a goal.
Feddback from you of how the session went