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4,973 people sought cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) help in Massachusetts in the last year

Discover how starting cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) therapy can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.

Meet with a provider as soon as this week

Good news! We have 34 therapists in Massachusetts available for an online or in-person session.

Starting Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?

At Thriveworks, Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a widely recognized and evidence-based form of psychotherapy or talk therapy. It focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns, emotions, and behaviors that can contribute to various mental health issues or challenges that people are struggling with.

What does a cognitive behavioral therapist do?

Cognitive behavioral therapists specialize in Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and can help you to identify and comprehend your thought patterns, which often encompass automatic negative thoughts, cognitive distortions, and self-defeating beliefs. Once these negative thought patterns are pinpointed, cognitive behavioral therapists aim to challenge and replace them with the objective of fostering more constructive and logical thinking. In addition, these therapists place significant emphasis on implementing positive behavioral changes based on the newly established, healthier thought patterns.

What is CBT best for?

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is particularly effective for addressing conditions like anxiety disorders, depression, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. It focuses on identifying and modifying negative thought patterns and behaviors, making it well-suited for issues related to distorted thinking and emotional regulation.

How much does a CBT session cost?

At Thriveworks, we take most major forms of insurance, meaning many of our clients only pay a small $0-$50 co-pay. However, we have self-pay options, too. For those out-of-network, our therapy and psychiatry services are around $200, depending on the service and location.

What is the success rate of CBT?

The success rate of CBT varies depending on the intentions of the client and their condition(s).

What\'s better: CBT or DBT?

The selection between cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is based on an individual’s unique needs and challenges. CBT is commonly chosen for addressing conditions such as anxiety and depression, whereas DBT is especially beneficial for individuals dealing with borderline personality disorder, emotional regulation issues, and difficulties in interpersonal relationships.

Is CBT conducted in person or online?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with our Thriveworks therapists in Westborough, MA is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.

How many sessions is CBT?

Generally, CBT is considered a short-term therapy, typically lasting for about 12 to 20 weekly sessions. In some cases, it might extend to around 16 to 20 sessions for more complex issues.

Need more help deciding?

Have you ever made one mistake and thought, “aaahhh, I can’t do anything right!” Or has a friend cancelled on you at the last minutes and you told yourself, “I must not be very fun to hang out with.” It’s okay to admit it. We have all thought negative things at times in our lives. They a common enough that mental health professionals have given these untrue, negative thoughts a name: cognitive distortions. Even though they are common, these cognitive distortions do not help people. In fact, these thoughts can make an already difficult situation more challenging. The good news is that people have significant control over their own thought patterns. It is not as easy as flipping a switch to turn on the lights, but people can flip their negative thoughts into positive ones. Many people are learning how through participating in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

“Every human has four endowments – self awareness, conscience,
independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.” —Stephen Covey

People have significant power to make choose, respond, and change, and CBT can show them how. Often, the process begins by confronting those cognitive distortions. When people change their thinking, they can often change their lives. CBT gives people instructions for doing just that. Through CBT, many people…

  1. Learn just how much they can control their own emotions, thoughts, and actions.
  2. Develop a mutual relationship with their therapist wherein they are the experts on their own feelings but the therapist is the expert on cognitive distortions and healthy thinking. Working together, clients often experience deep growth.
  3. Zeroed in on a particularly difficult circumstance. With their therapists, they often formulate a more positive understanding of it and more positive actions to take in response to it.
  4. Developed emotional and cognitive skills that serve them well long after CBT has finished.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is offered at Thriveworks Counseling in Westborough, and our staff has helped many clients make meaningful changes in their lives through changing their negative and untrue thinking.

What Are Cognitive Distortions?

Cognitive distortions are those untrue and negative spins people can put upon reality, and they can wreak havoc in people’s lives. Thoughts, feelings, and actions are all interconnected. All too often, unhelpful thoughts about a situation lead to unhelpful actions within a situation. But people can stop cognitive distortions before they escalate if they know what to look for. The following lists common cognitive distortions. Do you recognize any?

  • Overgeneralization uses one experience to make a universal principle that is applied in situations that may or may not be connected.
  • Emotional reasoning equates one’s internal feelings with the external reality. Just because someone feels guilty, this feeling does not automatically mean they have done something wrong.
  • Polarized thinking draws strict lines of black-and-white and either-or. There is no room for grey, shades, or in-betweens.
  • Blaming sees the world according to fault. Every situation must have someone to blame.
  • Catastrophizing sees the worst coming. Every setback or hurdle is a sign of impending doom.
  • Control fallacy either people over-exert control, like when a codependent spouse tries to make her husband stop drinking, or people feel out-of-control, blaming luck, fate, or the universe for their own choices.
  • Filtering disregards anything good, positive, or beneficial. These are strained out so that people only see the negative.
  • Fallacy of fairness occurs when people compare and contrast their lives with others, using an arbitrary measure of fairness.

How Might Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Help?

One example of how cognitive behavioral therapy works is the three-column technique. This is but one technique that therapists can use to achieve CBT’s overall goal: to adjust cognitive distortions so that people have more truthful, positive thinking patterns. In the three-column technique, clients draw three columns on a blank piece of paper.

  1. In the first column, clients record the circumstances of a particular situation they are dealing with. They may write that their child came home with a bad grade in school.
  2. In the second column, clients will record what they are thinking about this situation. In this example, a client may write that they think that they have failed their child, and they feel like a bad parent. In this column, clients will also write the cognitive distortion this thinking may have. In this case, it would be overgeneralization and the control fallacy.
  3. In the third column, clients will write a different response, one that more accurately reflects reality. This client may write that their child is overall a good student, and that one grade does not determine a person’s intelligence. They may also write that their child is a teenager and responsible for studying. They have done their best to teach their child good study habits, but it is the child’s responsibility to complete a particular assignment.

Thriveworks Counseling in Westborough—Appointments for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Therapists use CBT as they form treatment plans for a number of mental health challenges, including,

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Anxiety
  • Anger management
  • Mood swings
  • Depression
  • Self-mutilation
  • Relationship issues
  • Drug and/or alcohol addiction
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • General health issues
  • Insomnia
  • Self-destructive habits
  • Child and adolescent issues

If you are ready to try cognitive behavioral therapy, Thriveworks Counseling in Westborough has counselors who are ready to help. When you contact our office, you may have your first appointment within 24 hours. We do not maintain a waitlist, but we do offer weekend and evening sessions. We also accept most insurance plans. Call Thriveworks in Westborough today.

Pricing & insurance

Our therapists accept most major insurances. We accept 585+ insurance plans, and offer self-pay options, too.
Learn more about pricing for therapy and counseling services at Thriveworks.

Our Westborough therapists and counselors accept 24 insurance plans

  • Aetna

  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts | BCBS

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield | Anthem (Blue Card)

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts | BCBS Medicare Advantage (HMO | PPO)

  • Carelon

  • Cigna | Evernorth

  • Cigna | Evernorth EAP

  • Compsych

  • Fallon Health

  • First Health Network

  • Humana Exchange

  • Humana HMO/POS

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Self-pay costs at Westborough
Talk therapy

Talk therapy

Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Talk therapy

Psychiatry

Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Hear from our clients

4.8 Thriveworks Westborough reviews are collected through Thriveworks.com.
★★★★★
Hello all, I just want to tell everyone at thriveworks in Westboro mass office and future customers that I have had the pleasure of a 5 star counselor in donna hayes. Donna helped me when I was at the lowest point in my life. A law enforcement life, with lots of issues. She has helped me immensely. God bless you donna. Hopefully I will see you in fall when I return home. Thanks for your help and sorry for quitting exit today on my last appointment. Best regards always. Brian
Read more Hello all, I just want to tell everyone at thriveworks in Westboro mass office and future customers that I have had the pleasure of a 5 star counselor in donna hayes. Donna helped me when I was at the lowest point in my life. A law enforcement life, with lots of issues. She has helped me immensely. God bless you donna. Hopefully I will see you in fall when I return home. Thanks for your help and sorry for quitting exit today on my last appointment. Best regards always. Brian
Westborough Apr 2019
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
I’ve had a wonderful experience. The staff is punctual and kind.
Westborough Jan 2019
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Thriveworks has been wonderful so far. My therapist is very supportive and communicative. The appointment reminders are very helpful, too.
Read more Thriveworks has been wonderful so far. My therapist is very supportive and communicative. The appointment reminders are very helpful, too.
Westborough Jan 2019
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
I love my therapist and feel better about my life knowing that I have guidance and direction in my life
Read more I love my therapist and feel better about my life knowing that I have guidance and direction in my life
Westborough Jan 2019
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
My therapist is thoughtful, compassionate, incisive in a good way, understands complex trauma, and is full of good humor.
Read more My therapist is thoughtful, compassionate, incisive in a good way, understands complex trauma, and is full of good humor.
Westborough Aug 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
For a first visit, this place set a very good example for what is ahead. Attentive, note-taking, observant I am pleased with the initial visit.
Read more For a first visit, this place set a very good example for what is ahead. Attentive, note-taking, observant I am pleased with the initial visit.
Westborough Jun 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Just met Greg today so far everything went well.
Westborough Apr 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Good chat with Stephanie
Westborough Apr 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com

Where to find us

Getting here

Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Westborough is located at 5 E Main St Suite 3, Westborough, MA 01581, in the same building as Berkshire Bank.

Phone number

(774) 252-7733

Languages spoken by MA providers

  • English
Friday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Monday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Tuesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
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Thursday 8:00am - 9:00pm

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Monday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Tuesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Wednesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Thursday 7:00am - 9:30pm

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