Our therapists offer cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in Bethlehem, PA

My go-to approach for helping people in CBT is helping them understand the model, learn and apply the skills, and then practice them outside of sessions for success. I then prefer to go deeper and look at the roots of negative thoughts/negative storylines for not only improved symptom relief but overall improved trajectory of life and view of self.

I teach the following tools in CBT:

• Grounding and coping skills - Grounding and healthy coping skills will be crucial to help cope with any distress that is caused by anxiety or challenging thoughts.
• Learning to recognize, challenge, and change your negative thoughts - A core principle of CBT is being able to identify, challenge, and reframe negative thoughts to think in a more positive, helpful manner. We'll learn many skills, reflection questions, and exercises that will help you become a master at challenging and shifting thoughts!
• Identifying and shifting negative core beliefs - Once we get good at shifting thoughts, we will dig deeper and identify the general theme or root of these negative thoughts such as “I'm not good enough” and work on shifting those to positive roots like “I am worthy.”
• Inner child work - Once we know our old negative core beliefs and our new goal positive core belief, working on believing that involves learning to listen to, care for, and take charge of our inner child that shows up in distressing moments.

I know a client is making meaningful progress in CBT when they can catch, challenge, and reframe thoughts either alone or with help.

Clients can supplement their time in CBT with practice, practice, practice! Practice is crucial in this method of therapy, along with good self-care! This is challenging but effective and hopeful work you're doing.

To prepare for their first CBT session, an individual can think about their main challenges and triggers, take deep breaths, and be ready to be open to trying new things.