Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
What is CBT? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is a hands-on way of learning how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors all connect — and how by changing one, you can change the others. It’s based on the idea that it’s how we perceive things (instead of what actually happens) that shapes how we feel and how we act. That gives us room to change what’s not working rather than being stuck in negative patterns.
A Gentle Approach to Change
CBT was designed to help people make sense of how their thoughts affect their mood and actions. Sometimes, we catch ourselves in unhelpful loops—thinking the worst, assuming the worst, or jumping quick to negative conclusions. It’s totally normal, but it can feel exhausting. CBT teaches skills that help you step off that loop, see things more clearly, and choose responses that feel more helpful.
How CBT Looks in Therapy Sessions
When we work together using CBT, here’s what you can expect:
Goal setting: Right away, we’ll figure out what you want to change — maybe it’s anxiety, intrusive thoughts, low mood, or something that keeps holding you back.
Identifying thought patterns: We’ll look at your thoughts, especially the automatic or negative ones, explore where they come from, and test how “true” they really are.
Behavioral experiments: Trying out different behaviors in everyday life (stepping into something you’ve been avoiding, testing out a less anxious reaction, etc.) to see what works.
Practical tools: Journaling, mindfulness or relaxation techniques, tracking moods, using worksheets or prompts—things you can use between sessions.
Feedback & reflection: We’ll regularly see what you’ve tried that worked, what felt hard, which thoughts still trip you up—and adjust as we go.
What You Can Expect
It’s active. You’ll often leave sessions with “homework”: small tasks or experiments to try in real life.
It’s collaborative. We do this together. You bring your experiences, I bring methods/tools, and we figure out what’s helpful for you.
It may feel uncomfortable at times. Facing negative thoughts or trying new behaviors takes courage. It’s normal for things to feel awkward, scary, or even emotional—but that’s often a sign of growth.
You’ll build skills you carry with you. Over time, many people find more mood stability, more “tool-belt” options when things feel tough, and more confidence in managing their thoughts rather than being ruled by them.
What CBT Can Help With
CBT has helped many people with:
Anxiety, worry, panic
Depression
Obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviors
Stress and overwhelm
Trauma symptoms
Low self-esteem
Life transitions or feeling “stuck”
A Different Path Forward
If you feel like you’re stuck in cycles of anxious thought, negative self-talk, or avoiding things because they feel uncomfortable, CBT might be a match. You don’t have to stay where you are. Therapy with me is about helping you discover what feels manageable, move toward what matters, and build more freedom in how you live.
Ready to explore CBT? Whether your concern is anxiety, depression, OCD, or something else, we offer online CBT therapy for clients in Texas.