CBT Therapy

Are you feeling depressed most days to the point it is hard to function?

Do you experience self-doubt and feel inept or incompetent?

Do you lack the self-confidence that seems so easy to others?

Do you struggle with moments of high anxiety or are you constantly feeling preoccupied and overwhelmed?

Do you find yourself in a constant struggle with anger and resentment to the point that it is difficult to embrace joyful moments in your life or to get along with people?

If you can identify with any of these questions, you are not alone. Your internal experience may be the result of an identifiable mental health difficulty. Even though you feel alone and even hopeless coping with these symptoms, millions have similar experiences.

According to the 2007 mental health survey cited by the world health organization, more than 50% of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their lifetime. Children’s mental health risks are equally discouraging. A 2010 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry revealed that 1 in 5 children experience a debilitating mental illness at some point in their life. (Lifetime Prevalence of Mental Disorders in US Adolescents: Results from the National Comorbidity Study-Adolescent Supplement [NCS-A]. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2010).

Even more alarming, the American Psychological Association 2019 featured article describes a shocking increase in suicide rates across all ages. Suicide is now the fourth leading cause of death among 35 to 54 year-olds, and the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 to 34. The combined statistics places suicide as 10th leading cause of death overall.

Faced with these disturbing mental health facts, clinicians at the Good Life Center for Mental Health are committed to using empirically-based interventions that can bring significant alleviation of symptoms.

The clinicians at our center view Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as the cornerstone of evidence-based treatment to improve mental health outcomes. CBT has been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment of a variety of mental health problems, and there is a robust body of literature indicating that patients that have been treated with CBT experience significant improvements in their symptoms, particularly, depression and anxiety.

The basic premise of CBT is that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. People can alter the way they feel, and consequently their behavior, if they can change the way they think. Therapists using CBT assist their clients in identifying the distortions in their thoughts and replacing them with more adaptive thoughts and behaviors. Therapists and clients work conjointly applying a variety of methods towards this end. Frequently, in a few sessions, CBT methods provide clients with a better understanding of their internal dialogue, and results in more adaptive emotional and behavioral responses to life events. This often translates into improvements in one’s emotional experience and a more empathetic and compassionate self-image.

An important component of CBT is the use of homework or home practice assignments, which allow clients to carry the progress obtained from one therapy session to the next. This seems to help clients gain mastery over their experiences, resulting in more rapid alleviation of symptoms, compared to other therapeutic approaches. Consequently, CBT has been found to produce desired therapeutic outcomes in 20 sessions or less.

An important hallmark of CBT is its problem-focused approach to treatment. At the Good Life Center for Mental Health, our therapists work with clients to identify problems that they work on and the order in which they want to work on them. One problem is focused on at a time until outcomes are achieved before going to the next. This enables clients to see faster outcomes and more fully recover from the difficulties that they are experiencing.

So if …
– You feel sad and overwhelmed
– Your anger is negatively impacting your relationships with others and yourself
– You struggle with low self-esteem and feelings of self-defeat
– Your anxiety is overwhelming and is affecting your ability to function or experience joy
– You would love to have a better outlook and positive feelings in your life…

…Then cognitive behavioral therapy may be the ideal treatment approach for you. We welcome the opportunity to provide you with firsthand experience of the power that CBT has in improving people’s lives.

Please contact us to learn more.