Cognitive behavioral therapy helps people identify negative or distorted thoughts that lead to anxious feelings and unproductive behaviors. CBT helps clients determine which thoughts are accurate, inaccurate, or negatively distorted. Through CBT, people can learn to replace limiting thoughts with more realistic thoughts. For example, a man wanting to be a doctor may change his thought from "I'm not intelligent enough" to "If I work hard and get help, I can manage medical school." Changing thoughts in this way can improve feelings of confidence and lead to productive studying behaviors. CBT takes time and effort but is effective for reducing anxiety and addressing other issues like depression.

1. How Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy Helps Anxiety
Ruth Feinblum, LCSW

2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

3. An Example:
A man thinks that he is good
looking and successful enough to
meet a partner who is right for
him.
He feels confident.
He goes to a few events (a
behavior), talks to different
people (a behavior) and goes on
dates (these are all behaviors).
Eventually, he does meet a
person that is right for him.

4. Another Example:
Another man would really like to be a physician but does not think that he is
intelligent enough to do the course work.
He feels unsure of himself but signs up for the boards anyway.
However, he thinks that he isn’t going to do well and isn’t able to focus on studying (a
behavior). He doesn’t pass the boards.

5. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people
identify self-limiting thoughts that are leading
them to negative feelings and unproductive
behaviors.

6. Thoughts
Behavior
Feelings
We all engage in thoughts that are called
Automatic Negative Thoughts.
Sometime we have them so quickly we don’t
even realize it.

7. Even if there is some truth
to the negative thinking,
the thinker could be
exaggerating the possible
negative outcomes.

8. CBT helps clients identify
which thoughts are
accurate, which are
inaccurate, and which are
negatively distorted.

9. The question that most people have is- how
does one change their thoughts?
This takes time and effort but is possible.

10. Thoughts about Thoughts
Thoughts are habits. We are in the habit of
thinking certain things.

11. Accurate, Inaccurate and Distorted Thoughts
Some thoughts are completely accurate.
If I thought right at this moment “I am recording
the talk for my power point presentation,” that
is completely accurate.
Thoughts
Behavior
Feelings

12. Accurate, Inaccurate and Distorted Thoughts
Some thoughts are completely inaccurate.
If I thought right now, “if I concentrate hard
enough I can make myself fly,” that would be
completely inaccurate.
Thoughts
Behavior
Feelings

13. Accurate, Inaccurate and Distorted Thoughts
If I think, “Cognitive therapy will make my
client’s anxiety go away right now,” that is
distorted.
Thoughts
Behavior
Feelings

14. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will help my clients
with lessening their anxiety, if they come to
therapy and we work together for a period of
time.

15. Take a look at the example
above of the man that
wants to go to medical
school.
His thought coming into
therapy might be, “I’d like
to be a doctor but I am
not smart enough to go to
medical school.”

16. More Productive Thoughts
• After some Cognitive Therapy he
might start to think, “I have some
abilities as a student and some
deficits. If I get help with the deficits,
improve my study skills and work hard,
I should be able to manage medical
school.”
• He would feel more confident and this
would lead him behaviors that would
help him get into medical school.

17. It can take time and hard work, but CBT is a
well-researched and time tested therapy that
can help people with multiple problems such as
anxiety, depression, problems in romantic
relationships and coping with a divorce.

18. For More Information
please contact
Ruth Feinblum
at
ruth@growthsolutions
counseling.com
or call 610-745-9571