CBT for Anxiety and Depression

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective, evidence-based treatment for anxiety disorders and depression.

  • CBT teaches clients to identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to these mental health conditions.

  • The core premise of CBT is that our thoughts influence our emotions and behaviors and that modifying distorted thinking can lead to positive changes in how we feel and act.

CBT for Anxiety

CBT is effective for treating generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and other anxiety conditions. With CBT, you

  • Learn to challenge irrational beliefs

  • Face feared situations gradually through exposure exercises

  • Learn methods to calm your body and mind.

CBT for Depression

Numerous studies support the use of CBT as a first-line treatment for mild to moderate cases of depression. For depression, CBT helps individuals:

  • Identify and modify inaccurate or negative thinking patterns that contribute to sadness and lack of motivation.

  • Assists clients in reframing thoughts more realistically and positively.

  • Incorporates behavioral techniques such as activity scheduling to increase engagement in activities that provide a sense of pleasure or accomplishment.

  • Numerous studies support the use of CBT as a first-line treatment for mild to moderate cases of depression.

CBT works on current issues.

CBT is a method that focuses on your current difficulties and not on your past. It is a collaborative approach, for which the client and the therapist build a model together including:

  • emotions

  • thoughts

  • upsetting situations

  • interpersonal difficulties

Treatment focuses on:

  • Changing thoughts that keep us stuck.

  • Accepting and managing our reactions to things that can not be changed.

  • Developing coping and emotional regulation skills.

  • Exposure to events and situations that we currently avoid or have great difficulty approaching.

“I can't believe it has taken me all week to write to you [Laura Richardson, Ph.D., and Melissa Green-Jackson, LPC, group leaders]. I wanted to let you know that I…was in tears hearing you talk about wanting a life-worth-living vs. just keeping someone alive...[we were so grateful to meet] Martha [Jimenez, LCSW] at our first appointment. So thank you both, your group has done so much for my daughter, which I had hoped for, but I didn't expect to get so much out of it for myself. “- Unsolicited parent feedback 2022, used with permission.