Cognitive Therapy is a research-based treatment that is proven effective for depression and number of psychiatric disorders such as panic disorder and social phobia. The concept behind this therapy is that it is not the things that happen to us that cause us to be depressed, anxious, or angry, but rather our negative, unrealistic, and biased thinking cause us to be depressed or anxious or angry about the situation.

Cognitive therapy looks at different components of a problem (external stressors, biology, behavior, and thinking) but focuses on thinking as the most important element to target for change. The other components are not ignored, but because thought is the most important contributor to emotion it is the primary target for change.

What you will learn in therapy

In therapy you will learn to identify your automatic thoughts. You will also learn about thinking errors or biases called cognitive distortions. You will be able to identify these errors in your thinking, learn to challenge your troubling thoughts and replace them with more adaptive, realistic, helpful thoughts. Bonnie uses a workbook in conjunction with written assignments and practice as part of the therapy process.