Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Helping You Shift Thoughts, Change Behavior, and Reclaim Your Life
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a highly effective, evidence-based treatment approach that helps individuals understand how their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are interconnected. When we’re stuck in patterns of worry, self-criticism, avoidance, or hopelessness, CBT can offer practical tools to help us regain a sense of clarity, purpose, and control.
In my work, I use CBT to support clients struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, perfectionism, work stress, low self-esteem, and relationship challenges. This approach is grounded in the idea that while we may not be able to control everything that happens to us, we can learn to change the way we respond — and that starts with the way we think and the actions we take.
CBT helps us recognize unhelpful thought patterns — like catastrophizing, black-and-white thinking, or “mind reading” — and replace them with more balanced and empowering perspectives. At the same time, it supports clients in experimenting with new behaviors, whether that’s facing fears in a manageable way, setting boundaries, practicing assertiveness, or learning to tolerate discomfort without shutting down.
My approach to CBT is collaborative and personalized. We work together to understand your current challenges and the beliefs and habits that may be maintaining them. Then, we gently begin to challenge what’s no longer serving you and explore new ways of thinking and acting that align with your values and goals. For clients who have experienced trauma, I integrate CBT techniques with a strong focus on safety, regulation, and pacing — always honoring where you are and what you need.
Integrating CBT with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy & Polyvagal-Informed Care
While CBT offers powerful tools for change, I recognize that healing is not just a cognitive process — it’s also emotional, physiological, and deeply tied to our lived experiences. That’s why I often blend CBT with other evidence-based approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Polyvagal-informed care, to support deeper, more integrated healing.
From ACT, we bring in mindfulness and values-based work. Rather than trying to “get rid of” difficult thoughts and feelings, we learn to make space for them — and focus on living in alignment with what truly matters to you. This approach helps loosen the grip of perfectionism, shame, or rigid thinking, and instead supports psychological flexibility and self-compassion.
From a Polyvagal perspective, we pay attention to the state of your nervous system — because your ability to think clearly, connect, and take action is directly shaped by how safe your body feels. When appropriate, we incorporate body-based tools such as grounding, breathwork, or co-regulation strategies to help you shift out of states of shutdown, hyperarousal, or chronic stress and into a place where healing and change are more accessible.
By integrating these modalities, therapy becomes more than just “changing your thoughts.” It becomes a compassionate, holistic process where you learn how to relate to yourself and your experiences differently — with more kindness, more choice, and more connection to the life you want to build.
If you’re curious whether CBT — on its own or in combination with these other approaches — might be right for you, I invite you to reach out. Together, we can explore how to tailor therapy to support your specific needs and help you move forward with clarity, confidence, and care.