Most emotional distress can be traced back to negative or maladaptive thoughts. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapy technique that addresses the way negative thoughts affect feelings and behavior. Think of mental illness like a cycle where negative thoughts lead to negative feelings, negative feelings lead to unhealthy behaviors, and those unhealthy behaviors invite more negative thoughts.

At Free Spirit Counseling we use CBT to point out these harmful thoughts. We then work with you to rewrite them into healthier ones. These thoughts can lead to improved feelings and behavior, which then reinforce constructive thought processes. 

In practice, CBT is a form of talk therapy. In a remote session with one of our counselors we will invite you to describe the feelings and events that are most distressing for you. We will then methodically untangle and identify the negative thoughts at the root of the issue. Once these thoughts are identified, you will be able to recognize them in action and will have more control over how these thoughts affect your mood and behavior. Your therapist will also teach you techniques for combating these negative thoughts and introduce more constructive and adaptive processing, which can lead to improved moods and a healthier life.

We use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in almost all of our sessions as either the main therapeutic strategy or a supplementary one. It has proven effective in a wide variety of psychological disorders and emotional distress including:

Have questions? Contact us today!