Our therapists offer cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in Toms River, NJ

My go-to approach for helping people in cognitive behavioral therapy is helping them acknowledge and find aspects of their lives that they have control over improving, at a time when they feel the most out of control in their lives and overall routine. I find the best benefit of cognitive behavioral therapy to be helping my clients realize that change comes from within, and a change in their own behaviors and responses to stimuli around them can have a very positive and rapidly changing impact on their lives and the important relationships in them.

I teach the following tools in cognitive behavioral therapy:

• Cognitive reframing: helping clients to see different situations, interactions, and emotions from a different, more productive point of view
• Journaling: keeping track of thoughts about experiences throughout the week between sessions
• De-catastrophizing: countering worst-case scenario thinking with logical, rational lines of questioning to put those thoughts into perspective
• Progressive relaxation strategies: deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation
• And many other techniques.

I know a client is making meaningful progress in cognitive behavioral therapy when they are able to acknowledge the point of view of someone close to them without prompting or are innately turning to a coping strategy from past sessions in a moment of difficulty, but mostly from client's own acknowledgment that they see progress and changes happening.

Clients can supplement their time in cognitive behavioral therapy by practicing strategies learned in sessions in an effort to get better at utilizing them in moments of need throughout the week, engaging in consistent self-care throughout the week, as well as continually looking out for small levels of control they have over aspects of their life they may not have previously considered they have some control over improving.

To prepare for their first cognitive behavioral therapy session, an individual can make sure they feel comfortable talking about the difficulties they need assistance with, as well as trying to surround themselves with other voices of support who can help them get through the beginning of their therapeutic journey.