Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
A practical, well-researched way to change the thought patterns and habits that keep anxiety, depression and stress running on a loop.
What it is
CBT starts from a simple observation: what we think shapes what we feel and do, and the loop runs both ways. When the loop gets stuck (catastrophic predictions, harsh self-talk, avoiding the thing that scares you until it grows), CBT gives you tools to interrupt it. It is structured, collaborative and measurable, and it is one of the most studied forms of psychotherapy for anxiety and depression.
What a session looks like
We set an agenda together. We look at a real situation from your week, slow it down, and find where the thought, the feeling and the behavior each show up. You leave with something to try before next time: an experiment, a worksheet, a different response to a trigger. I fold in DBT-informed skills (distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness) when the harder part is the feeling rather than the thought.
Who it helps
- Generalized anxiety, panic and health anxiety
- Depression and low motivation
- Insomnia and worry that shows up at night
- Anger and irritability
- Stress from work, caregiving or illness
- Building skills to stay steady while doing trauma work
Good to know
CBT works best when the problem is mostly about the present. When the reaction is rooted in something that happened, I’ll usually suggest pairing it with EMDR or the Flash Technique so we treat the memory, not just the symptom.
Ready when you are
Sessions are $175 per hour, in Concord, in Berkeley on Wednesdays and Fridays, or by secure video.