If you live in New York City, you may wonder if there is short-term treatment available through a local psychologist to help you cope with issues that plague your everyday life and prevent you from being happy. There is. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, also known as CBT, is a goal-oriented treatment to help people change their behaviors. It is a short-term approach used for patients coping with a wide range of issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, substance dependency, phobias, depression and anxiety. If they are specially trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, NYC therapists can use a variety of hands-on problem-solving techniques to change people’s thought processes, attitudes and behaviors. Structured treatment sessions are usually scheduled for once or twice a week and continue for two to seven months. There are several techniques that can be used. Three well-known and successful types are thought records, exposure therapy and relaxation training.
Thought Records
One of the landmarks of CBT is that patients are given homework after every session. For example, if you are using thought records as a technique, you’ll keep track of what thought processes were used to reason out specific behaviors you have experienced. More than simple rationalization, thought records break down the process of why you do the things you do. This technique is helpful in therapy with a multitude of issues such as phobias, depression and substance use.
Exposure Therapy
Everyone tends to react in certain ways when they are presented with unpleasant situations. Exposure therapy helps you to consider what items personally cause you great distress and why. The examination of feelings and use of visual imagery create enlightening factors in discovering your thought process. A therapist in NYC can use this technique to help people coping with drug or alcohol dependency, eating disorders and social anxiety.
Relaxation Training
There are several different ways that people can teach themselves to relax when they are in a tense situation or one that causes them fear. Deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation are two methods that can be taught in CBT. Relaxation training can be used for people who have anxiety, difficulty sleeping or phobias.
Learn more about how a psychologist using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in NYC can help you or a loved one cope with drug or alcohol dependency, depression or anxiety. Call Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services at (718) 552-0166 to set up a consultation appointment.