Sarah is 8. Her parents have described her as “going from 0-60 in no time flat” because of how intense her anger can be over seemingly benign things. Her last outburst occurred because she was asked to turn off her game in order to go to basketball practice (which she loves). She ignored her parents at first, then stomped around the room, yelling and refusing to get in the car. We identified that Sarah struggles with stopped a preferred activity, even when the new activity is fun or she knew in advance. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Sarah learned about using flexible, positive thinking and practiced a calming routine to help with her anger, while her parents learned new strategies to help Sarah practice handling transitioning activities. In a few short weeks, Sarah was having a lot more fun at basketball and the whole family felt calmer and more peaceful.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) s a powerful, evidenced-based therapeutic approach that has been proven successful for treating emotional regulation and behavioral challenges. For young children, CBT identifies your child’s perspective or the underlying goal of their behavior. Children are taught to identify the emotion they are experiencing, and change their thinking that is causing the feeling. When a child changes her perspective of a problem, her reactions are less intense. We then focus on finding tactics that help transition emotional regulation skills from the office to home and school.
For teens and young adults, CBT becomes more abstract as they are able to begin to understand their emotions and reactions more in-depth. Teens learn to identify the unhelpful thoughts and beliefs that guides their emotions, decisions, and reactions, and challenges these thoughts and beliefs in a safe and non-judgemental way.
What do you think about “X”? Is this accurate, logical, an assumption? What is the likely reality of “X”? What is a better explanation? Are your thoughts and emotional reactions to “X” helpful or harmful? By using CBT techniques, teens can develop different, more positive thinking patterns that better reflect reality and improve self-esteem. This leads to a reduction in anxiety, anger, and depression symptoms, improved communication and problem-solving, and a more peaceful and content family.
CBT provides you with greater understanding of your internal dialogue, helping you to train different thinking patterns and beliefs to better reflect both the reality around you and a more empathetic self-image. We aim to ease your suffering, improve your problems, and help you live a healthier, happier life.
If you’d like us to show you firsthand how CBT can dramatically improve your life, please contact us today for an appointment.
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