Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a well-supported approach that helps you understand how your thoughts, beliefs, and actions interact to shape your experience. Instead of seeing thoughts as the literal truth or emotions as something to suppress, CBT teaches you to notice patterns, test assumptions, and make small adjustments that reduce unnecessary suffering.
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CBT isn’t about “thinking positive.” It’s about discovering which thoughts and behaviors are actually helping you, and which are keeping you stuck, and then learning practical strategies for change.
What CBT Helps With
CBT is effective for a wide range of concerns because all of these involve patterns of thinking, reacting, and avoiding:
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Anxiety (worry, rumination, future-focused fear)
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Panic and avoidance behavior
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Perfectionism and self-criticism
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Depression or low mood
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Emotional reactivity
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Shame and internal pressure
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Avoidance cycles (e.g., social, emotional, or decision avoidance)
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Low confidence or self-doubt
In essence, CBT helps you notice automatic patterns that keep problems alive and equips you with tools to respond differently — in ways that work better in your real life.
Common Misunderstandings with CBT
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There are a few misconceptions that keep people from accessing what CBT has to offer:
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CBT is not “just positive thinking.”
It’s not about forcing optimism or ignoring how hard things feel. It’s about noticing patterns that aren’t serving you and testing whether they’re true or helpful.
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CBT isn’t rigid or one-size-fits-all.
When done well, it is flexible and adapted to your needs. There are core principles, but how they show up looks different for everyone.
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CBT doesn’t mean you have to analyze every thought.
It’s about recognizing key patterns and building alternatives that feel believable and useful- not about chasing every stray thought.
How I Integrate CBT Into My Trauma-Informed, Nervous-System-Aware Work
I use CBT as one part of a broader, tailored approach. CBT is powerful when your nervous system has enough capacity and safety to engage with patterns without overwhelming you. When working with trauma, anxiety, depression, or burnout, CBT is most effective when integrated with:
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Somatic & nervous system work: because thinking alone isn’t enough if the body remains in stress response
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Mindfulness and present-moment awareness: to notice patterns without judgment
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Values clarification (ACT elements): so shifts aren’t just intellectual but meaningful
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Parts-informed conversations (IFS-informed): to reduce internal conflict and self-criticism
In other words, CBT is a toolbox we use when it fits your current goals and capacity, not a rigid protocol we force on every issue.
What CBT Is (and Isn't) Helpful For
CBT can be especially useful when:
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You’re noticing unhelpful thought patterns that fuel anxiety, self-criticism, or low mood
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You want practical, strategy-focused tools you can use between sessions
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You’re ready to learn skills that support flexibility, choice, and follow-through
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You’re curious about how thoughts, behaviors, and emotions interact
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You’ve gained insight in the past but haven’t seen lasting change
At the same time, CBT isn’t always the best place to begin.
If your nervous system is highly activated, depleted, or stuck in a freeze or shutdown state, it can be very difficult to engage with thoughts in a meaningful way. In those moments, asking yourself to “think differently” may feel frustrating, invalidating, or simply impossible- not because you’re resistant, but because your system doesn’t yet have the capacity.
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When this is the case, we start by supporting regulation and safety first. This might mean focusing on nervous system stabilization, somatic support, or emotion regulation skills so your body feels steadier and more resourced. Once there’s more capacity, CBT tools tend to land more naturally and feel genuinely useful rather than forced.
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This sequencing matters. Therapy works best when the approach matches where your system is, not where it’s "supposed" to be.
How does CBT related to Trauma Work, such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)?
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a trauma-focused approach that grew out of CBT and is designed to help people examine how traumatic experiences shape beliefs about safety, trust, control, responsibility, and self-worth. I draw from CPT principles when trauma is part of your history and when your nervous system has enough capacity to engage in this kind of work.
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I do not follow rigid protocols or rush trauma processing. When CPT-informed work is used, it is integrated thoughtfully and paced carefully, alongside nervous system regulation and emotional safety. For some clients, CBT-based trauma work is helpful; for others, we focus first (or entirely) on stabilization and regulation.
Real-World CBT Applications for High-Functioning Adults
​In my practice, I've found that high-achieving individuals often benefit from CBT techniques specifically adapted to their unique challenges. For instance, we might work on:
Reframing perfectionist thoughts that create impossible standards and chronic dissatisfaction. Together, we'll explore the difference between healthy striving and destructive perfectionism, developing more flexible standards that allow for both excellence and self-compassion
Challenging impostor syndrome by examining evidence of your competence and achievements, while developing a more balanced view of both strengths and areas for growth. This work helps you internalize your successes rather than dismissing them as luck or fooling others.
Addressing productivity anxiety by questioning beliefs about worth being tied to output, exploring what "enough" looks like, and developing cognitive flexibility around rest and recovery as essential components of sustainable success.
Managing social and professional anxiety through cognitive restructuring combined with behavioral experiments that gradually expand your comfort zone while building confidence in your ability to handle challenging situations.
What to Learn More?
If you’re curious about how CBT or other evidence-based approaches might support you, I invite you to explore the other educational pages linked from my My Approach section. Each page explains a different part of the therapeutic toolkit and how it might show up in your work together.
If you are interested in working with me, the first step is scheduling a free 20-minute consultation where you can ask questions and get a better sense of my style. Therapist fit is important, and I want clients to be able to have a space to understand my approach before getting started.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)
What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and how does it work?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based form of therapy that helps you understand how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors interact and influence how you feel.
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CBT isn't about eliminating negative thoughts or forcing yourself to "think positive." Instead, it helps you notice patterns that may be keeping you stuck and develop more flexible, helpful ways of responding to anxiety, stress, low mood, perfectionism, or other challenges.
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In our work together, CBT may involve identifying recurring thought patterns, understanding how they affect your emotions and behavior, experimenting with new responses, and building practical skills you can use outside of therapy. The goal is not to control every thought you have, but to create more choice in how you respond to what shows up.
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How do I know if cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is right for me?
CBT may be a good fit if you notice recurring patterns of worry, self-criticism, perfectionism, overthinking, avoidance, or burnout and want practical tools for changing them.
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Many of the adults I work with already have a great deal of insight into why they feel the way they do but still find themselves caught in the same loops. CBT can help bridge the gap between understanding a pattern and responding to it differently.
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During our free consultation, we'll talk about what's bringing you to therapy and whether CBT seems like a helpful starting point. If another therapeutic approach better fits your needs, we can discuss that too.
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When is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) not the best place to start?
CBT isn't always the best starting point, especially when your nervous system feels highly activated, depleted, overwhelmed, or shut down.
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In those states, trying to examine or challenge thoughts can sometimes feel frustrating, inaccessible, or even invalidating. You may understand intellectually that a thought isn't entirely accurate and still feel unable to shift how your body is responding.
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When this happens, I may focus first on nervous system regulation, emotional safety, and building capacity. As your system becomes more regulated, CBT strategies often become easier to access and more genuinely useful rather than feeling like another demand to "think differently."
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How long does cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) take to see results?
There is no single timeline for CBT. Some people begin noticing changes within a few sessions as they understand their patterns and start practicing new skills. Others benefit from longer-term therapy, particularly when anxiety, burnout, trauma, perfectionism, or other patterns have developed over many years.
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We'll talk openly about your goals, what's changing, and what still feels stuck so we can adjust our approach as needed. Therapy is about creating changes that are meaningful and sustainable in your everyday life.
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Do you offer cognitive behavioral therapy online?
Yes. I offer online CBT therapy through secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth sessions.
Virtual CBT allows us to work together from your own space and can make therapy more accessible and consistent, particularly if you're balancing a demanding schedule, anxiety, burnout, neurodivergence, or limited energy.
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CBT translates well to online therapy because many of the strategies we use involve conversation, reflection, skill-building, and applying what we discuss to your daily life. Sessions are always individualized rather than following a rigid CBT protocol.
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Can cognitive behavioral therapy help with anxiety?
Yes. CBT is commonly used to treat anxiety and can help you understand the cycles of thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and behaviors that keep anxiety going.
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For example, we might explore worry loops, catastrophic thinking, reassurance-seeking, avoidance, or the pressure to anticipate and prevent every possible problem. CBT can help you respond to these patterns with greater flexibility while developing practical strategies for managing anxiety in everyday life.
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Because anxiety isn't only cognitive, I may also integrate nervous system regulation, somatic strategies, ACT, or other approaches when those better fit what you're experiencing.
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Can cognitive behavioral therapy help with burnout and perfectionism?
CBT can be particularly helpful for understanding the beliefs, expectations, and behavioral patterns that contribute to burnout and perfectionism.
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You might notice rules such as "I should always be productive," "I can't disappoint anyone," or "If I can't do this perfectly, I've failed." Together, we can examine how these patterns developed, what they may have helped you accomplish or protect yourself from, and what they're costing you now.
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The goal isn't to stop caring or lower your standards. It's to develop more flexible, sustainable ways of relating to yourself, your responsibilities, and your work.
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Will I have homework between cognitive behavioral therapy sessions?
I often suggest skills, reflections, or small experiments to try between sessions because practicing in everyday life can help therapy translate into meaningful change. However, homework is always flexible and collaborative. If you're already overwhelmed or depleted, therapy shouldn't become one more item on an impossible to-do list. We'll adjust what we do based on your capacity and what is actually useful to you.
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How is cognitive behavioral therapy different from other types of therapy?
CBT tends to be more structured and present-focused than some forms of therapy. It emphasizes understanding current patterns and identifying specific changes that may help you feel and function differently.
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However, I don't use CBT in isolation. My approach is integrative, which means I may combine CBT with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), DBT-informed skills, somatic and nervous-system-based approaches, and trauma-informed care.
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This allows us to choose strategies based on what you're experiencing rather than trying to fit every concern into a single therapeutic model.
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Can cognitive behavioral therapy be combined with other therapeutic approaches?
Yes. In my practice, CBT is often combined with other therapeutic approaches. CBT can provide a useful framework for understanding patterns in thoughts and behavior, while ACT can help with psychological flexibility and values-based action, DBT-informed strategies can support emotional regulation, and somatic or nervous-system-based work can address experiences that aren't easily changed through thinking alone.
Therapy is tailored to you, rather than confined to one model.
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What states do you offer cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in?
I provide online CBT therapy to adults in PSYPACT-participating states. I am a licensed clinical psychologist and PSYPACT-authorized provider, which allows me to provide telehealth therapy to eligible clients who are physically located in participating states at the time of their session.
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I frequently work with clients in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, and Virginia, as well as other PSYPACT states. Because PSYPACT participation can change, you can contact me if you're unsure whether you're eligible to work with me, or check the current PSYPACT participating-state list.