What happens in a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Session?
Many people are nervous to begin Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) simply because have no idea what is going to happen during a therapy session. Fear of the unknown can be a huge obstacle to overcome. Too often peoples’ education on what therapy is like comes through TV shows or movies; real therapy is not nearly as dramatic!
Therapy is a mix of science and art. The clinical theory a counselor uses influences how the sessions go. I focus on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Over the course of my training and work experience, I have found that CBT meshed well with my personality and the way that I understand the world around me. It is also one of the most researched methods to practice therapy. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has proved to have consistently positive results.
The Thoughts
In our sessions, we will focus on three things: Thoughts, Behaviors and Emotions. The foundation of CBT is that your thoughts, behaviors and emotions influence each other and they all need to be balanced to some extent. For example, a person with high anxiety might have a pattern of extremely anxious thoughts. Unhelpful thoughts should then be analyzed and reframed into more realistic thoughts. This process of analyzing and reframing might need to be practiced over and over again. Eventually, the person will naturally start to reflect on their thoughts in a more realistic way. The ultimate goal is for the person to simply think more realistically all around.
The Feelings
Meanwhile, the anxious client might need some education about the “flight or fight response”. This is a natural response that is triggered within the body when you perceive danger around yourself. This response is a real physical effect of the thought process! The anxious client’s stomachaches, shaking spells, dizziness or difficulty breathing are very likely being caused by their body’s “flight or fight response”. This response can make the client feel afraid, out of control, more anxious, depressed, to name a few! Locating the origin of feelings is a great place to start to gain control over them.
The Behaviors
Next we need to explore the behaviors of the anxious client. What triggers this client’s unrealistic anxious thoughts? Is there a way to minimalize the triggers in the client’s life? Are there coping strategies that might help this client through these triggers? Does the client find that caffeine or a lack of self-care time really affects them? Is the client engaging in unhealthy coping mechanisms that are actually making them feel worse in the long-run?
CBT – What it all boils down to….
Of course, the previous example is a simple one. There may be environmental or genetic factors at play. Every client has different situations and obstacles that must be explored. These differences are the “art” of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The “science” is the foundation of our work which will be on exploring the relationships between thoughts, behaviors, and emotions.
In therapy we will discuss what is going on in your life and how it is affecting you. We will work through unhelpful thought patterns that recur and the emotions they stir up. It could be beneficial explore the experiences in your life that have led to the development of these unhelpful thought patterns or unhelpful coping mechanisms. There will be homework! I feel very strongly that working on yourself one time a week is not enough. You will need to practice the skills and explore yourself between sessions as well! Homework is a great way to ensure that happens.
Reach out today
Reaching out for help can be a really scary thing to do. My hope is that I have helped you to become a little more familiar with the process of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Keep this in mind when you are feeling hesitant: The only thing you need to do to be successful in therapy is SHOW UP!
Are you interested in trying CBT?
CONTACT ME TODAY to see if it is a good fit for you!
You can read a bit more about CBT here if you need a little morning reading material Psychology Today – CBT