CBT improves anxiety by (a) providing you with knowledge and strategies to help you regulate anxiety, (b) helping you develop new perspectives of the things you fear, and (c) helping you let go of avoidance and other safety behaviours so that you can live your life more fully and with a greater sense of confidence and security.

Cognitive behavioural therapy is about making positive changes. As cognitive-behavioural therapists, we will work with you to identify patterns of thinking and acting that are preventing you from resolving the emotional difficulties you face.

Once you have developed a better understanding of how your thoughts and actions impact your life, we will help you identify goals for change that are meaningful to you and that have the potential to alleviate your difficulty. 

There is no size-fits-all. The length of CBT depends on several factors: the reason for consultation, the client’s goals and needs, the knowledge and skill of the therapist, and the client’s willingness to make changes in their lives. Research shows that just 8-12 sessions of CBT can significantly alleviate the symptoms of an anxiety or mood disorder. Sometimes, clients are satisfied with their progress in just 3-5 sessions; other times a course of CBT can last considerably longer. The best time to discuss the course and schedule of therapy is after your therapist has completed an assessment and has shared with you a therapy plan. 

Cognitive behavioural therapy is an effective therapy for a wide range of issues, developed and refined over the last 50 years by expert scientists and clinicians. With the support of a skilled therapist, CBT can be used to improve almost any emotional issue. It is so flexible because it focuses on two things that impact all aspects of our lives: our thoughts and our behaviours.

CBT can help you solve any problem as long as it is (a) psychological in nature—meaning it affects your emotions, thoughts, and actions—and (b) something you can control—for instance by solving a problem, making a decision, or changing your attitudes and behaviours. CBT cannot help you change something outside of your control—it cannot cure a medical disease, change the past, change other people, or predict the future—but it can help you change your thoughts and feelings towards the problem, and help you change ways of coping that might be making the problem worse.