FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been scientifically tested and proven effective for the treatment of many disorders including anxiety, depression, and OCD.

In comparison to other styles of treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is focused on the present, can be more time-limited, and takes on a problem-solving lens. The goal of treatment is for you to learn specific skills to help them tackle issues more effectively in the future.

These skills include identifying distorted thinking, modifying unhelpful beliefs, relating to others in different ways, and changing behaviors that may be limiting us. CBT can be helpful for most people – contact us today to learn how we can help you!

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is based on the cognitive model, which states that the way we perceive situations influences how we feel emotionally.

Essentially, it is not the situations that affect us directly, but rather how we think about those situations. When we are feeling distressed, we may not be thinking clearly so we may have thoughts that are distorted in some way.

CBT helps you to identify your distressing thoughts and evaluate how realistic and helpful they are.

When we can think more realistically, we tend to feel better. Additionally, CBT therapy will help you evaluate the behaviors that you engage in when you’re distressed to determine if it is the most helpful for long term gratification.

When you are preparing for therapy, an important and helpful first step is to set goals.

The best way to do this is to ask yourself, “How would I like to be different by the end of therapy?” You may want to think about specific changes you’d like to make at work, at home and in your relationships with family, friends, co-workers, and others.

You may want to think about the symptoms that bother you and what it would be like if they were diminished. Together, we will help evaluate and refine these goals and help you determine how we can prioritize these goals for you.

It is common to be a bit nervous before starting therapy, which is why it’s helpful to know what a typical session may be like.

CBT sessions tend to be structured, collaborative, and active. Your therapist will usually start with a mood check, which helps the therapist get a quick ‘temperature’ on how things are going in that moment. You and your therapist will then set an agenda for the session and address issues in a practical and focused way.

CBT is focused on teaching you to be your own therapist, so we will work together to accomplish your goals!

You will learn new, adaptive and helpful ways to evaluate any thoughts that are distorted, or behaviors that are maladaptive, to ultimately help regulate emotions. Practicing these new skills outside of session is a really important part of treatment. Just like any skill, we only get better with practice.

This is a great question! The decision about the length of treatment is made collaboratively with your therapist. During the initial assessment, the therapist will have a better ability to gauge how long it might take to reach your goals.

Some people have a very specific issue and only need a brief amount of time to work through it. Others have a more long standing relationship with their therapist – working on a multitude of issues together. If you are in crisis, it’s helpful to come in two times each week initially.

Research suggests that coming in weekly allows for the most effective treatment.

As you begin reaching your goals, we will taper sessions so you can become confident in your ability to handle problems on your own and show how you’ve learned the skills. Once you feel ready, we will head towards ‘graduation’, where you will be finished with treatment.

You are always welcome to come back, and booster sessions are recommended every three, six, and twelve months to make sure that the progress is maintained.

While this is a question best asked to your therapist, most people notice a decrease in their symptoms within three to four weeks of beginning therapy. This is usually dependent on whether or not you have been continuously attending sessions and doing the suggested assignments between sessions.

As Cognitive Behavioral therapists, we believe that it is important to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of medication with you. Many people can be treated without medication, as CBT has shown to be very effective.

However, there are some disorders that respond better with a combination of medication and CBT. If you are currently on medication or would like to be on medication, we will coordinate care to make sure that all providers that you are working with are working collaboratively.

If you are not on medication and do not wish to be on medication, we might assess after a short time how much progress is being made to determine whether you might want a consultation at that time to discuss your options.

There are many ways to make good use of therapy. In addition to coming in for your sessions, you may decide to do some reading or use a self-help CBT book. You and your therapist can decide together about some resources that may be helpful.

Another way to make the most of therapy is to prepare for each session before coming in. You can think about what happened in the previous session, what you worked on during the week, and what issues came up for you that you want to cover.

Finally, the most useful way to make the most of treatment is to bring the therapy into your everyday life. CBT teaches everyday skills that can create lasting change. By utilizing these skills everyday, you are more likely to learn them and feel better more quickly.

We are an out-of-network provider for all insurances except NYU’s CHP plan. We are also part of the Lyra Health program. This means we do not take insurance as a direct form of payment.

However, many clients do get reimbursed by their insurance providers. Please check with your insurance provider for information regarding rates and reimbursement.