Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a focused, goal oriented, skills-based, short-term form of treatment aimed at helping individuals free themselves from unhelpful behaviors and patterns of thinking. CBT has the most research evidence of its efficacy of any form of therapy, and it is the model we at The Chicago Stress Relief Center, Ltd. use in treating nearly all of our clients. CBT is based on the understanding that our thoughts and behaviors affect how we feel; therefore, to change how we feel, we must change how we think and behave. Unlike other forms of therapy, CBT sessions are structured around the learning and practice of new skills, with the goal of helping clients to be able to continue using these skills after treatment has ended. We want all of our clients to feel empowered to “be their own therapists” even after the immediate need for therapy has ended. Rather than talking about problems in an unstructured manner, the client can expect to engage in several exercises with the therapist intended to make changes in their lives. A great many of our clients appreciate this active form of treatment. A typical CBT therapy session may involve any of the following exercises, alone or in combination:
- Identifying how their thoughts shape their feelings
- Determining whether thoughts are helpful or unhelpful
- Challenging unhelpful thoughts
- Coming up with new, adaptive thoughts
- Identifying how behaviors maintain anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions
- Role-playing new ways of interacting with others
- Conducting exposure exercises intended to help them face anxiety
- Resisting compulsions, or other behaviors anxiety “pushes” them to engage in
- Completing and reviewing weekly therapy homework assignments
CBT has demonstrated effectiveness in treating:
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Generalized Anxiety
- Depression
- Separation Anxiety
- School Anxiety
- Social Anxiety
- Phobias
- Panic Attacks/Panic Disorder
- Excoriation (Skin-picking)
- Trichotillomania (Hair-pulling)
- Agoraphobia
- Health Anxiety
At The Chicago Stress Relief Center, we tailor treatment and the types of exercises we use in session to fit you and your specific concerns. While CBT and behavioral methods in particular form the base of our therapeutic practice, we also incorporate cognitive methods, and borrow techniques from related treatment models such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as needed to fit the demands of our patients. Each one of our staff members are highly trained in the delivery of these proven, evidence-based methods. If you or someone you know would benefit from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, please reach out to us at 847-412-0922.