Our therapists offer cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in Pflugerville, TX

My go-to approach for helping people in cognitive behavioral therapy is TEAM cognitive behavioral therapy. I find the best benefit in this approach because it is structured, goal-oriented, and leads to rapid change.

I teach the following tools in cognitive behavioral therapy:

• Reattribution: Instead of blaming yourself entirely for the problem, you can think of the many outside factors that contributed to it.
• Examine the evidence: This approach parallels the scientific method of attempting to disprove an idea before taking it as fact. Instead of automatically believing your negative thought is true, ask yourself the question, “Do I have any reasons to not believe this thought?”
• Be specific: Stick with reality and avoid judgments about it. Focus on specific strengths and weaknesses rather than making overly general statements.

I know a client is making meaningful progress in cognitive behavioral therapy when their scores improve. I engage in measurement-based care. There will be a survey at the beginning and end of every session to help measure progress. If you are making progress, it will be reflected in the numbers.

Clients can supplement their time in cognitive behavioral therapy with psychotherapy homework. One of the main ideas of TEAM CBT is that psychotherapy homework is non-negotiable. If you want change in your life, then you will take what is discussed inside weekly therapy and apply it on your own without the help of the therapist. Psychotherapy homework ranges from additional reading to assist with learning new ways to think and behave, practicing new communication skills, and self-analysis of your own thoughts and emotions.

To prepare for your first cognitive behavioral therapy session, you can make sure you have somewhere private where you can focus and hopefully not be disturbed. In addition, do your research on types of CBT. Some practitioners are generalists and aren't fully invested in the method. Some may market themselves as having experience with the modality but have limited training. There are as many approaches to therapy as flavors of ice cream. You don't want one bad experience to ruin the entire experience. Make sure you find a therapist and an approach where you have room to express yourself and you can also work to achieve your goals.