Our therapists provide compassionate, evidence-based individual therapy for adults in Round Rock and Austin, Texas. Our diagnostic specialties include:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Specific Phobias
- Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling)
- Excoriation (Skin-Picking)
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Tourette Syndrome and Tics
- Depression
For more information or to schedule an appointment call (512) 246-7225 or email us at [email protected].
Meet Our Austin Adult Psychologists & Therapists
Stop struggling and start living
How Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Differ From Other Treatments?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy begins with an assessment using diagnostic tests to measure the intensity of the symptoms associated with depression. Then a problem list of five or six of the presenting problems are drawn up with the therapist. Clients collaborate with the therapist to decide how they will be at the end of the therapy.
The first stage of the therapy is aimed at bringing depression scores back to the normal range. Using a series of behavioral techniques (breathing, daily activity schedules, pleasure ratings and experiments) to help clients monitor their ability to change their life experience. Usually a minimum of 5 sessions is necessary to achieve depression scores in the normal range.
The second stage of the treatment works at the identification and challenging of negative automatic thoughts. Negative automatic thoughts are plausible, and are generated around specific themes (i.e. “I’m not good enough”, “I’m worthless”, “I’m never going to change” etc.). Clients are given customized homework each session whereby they record their automatic thoughts, asking themselves “What was going through my mind just before I started to feel this way?”
These negative thoughts are then analyzed against errors in logic which depressed people normally make, and through socratic questioning and guided discovery clients learn how to challenge and rewrite these thoughts in a more balanced way. Five sessions minimum are set apart to learn to identify and challenge negative automatic thoughts. The last five sessions work with deeper core beliefs and schemas which were previously known as the unconscious.
Modifying these deeply held beliefs which were formed in the early years of life mitigate against relapse. Core beliefs function like absolutes or prejudices in a persons life and identifying these through diagnostic tests target specific areas which are at the root of depressive thinking. They have cognitive, affective and behavioral components, and by modifying them (“I’m stupid”, “I’m not good enough”, “I’m a failure” etc.) by using evidence and experience of a new belief, over time, alters the original template at the heart of the way people see themselves, others, and the future and aid relapse prevention
The focus and method of cognitive behavioral therapy sets it apart from other, more traditional therapies:
- CBT is based on two specific tasks: cognitive restructuring, in which the therapist and patient work together to change thinking patterns, and behavioral activation — in which patients learn to overcome obstacles to participating in enjoyable activities and reverse self defeating beliefs. CBT focuses on the immediate present: what and how a person thinks.
- CBT focuses on specific problems. In individual or group sessions, problem behaviors and problem thinking are identified, prioritized, and specifically addressed.
- CBT is goal oriented. Together we define goals for each session as well as longer-term goals. Longer-term goals may take several weeks or months to achieve.
The approach of CBT is educational. The therapist uses structured learning experiences that teach patients to monitor and write down their negative thoughts and mental images. The goal is to recognize how those ideas affect their mood, behavior, and physical condition. Therapists also teach important coping skills, such as problem solving and scheduling pleasurable experiences.
CBT patients are expected to take an active role in their learning, in the session and between sessions. They are given homework assignments at each session which reinforce the work we do together and provide future tools for you to draw upon.
CBT employs multiple strategies, including Socratic questioning, role playing, imagery, guided discovery, and behavioral experiments.
For more information from our Round Rock & Austin therapists or to schedule an appointment call (512) 246-7225 or email us at [email protected].