Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Massachusetts
HBH Treatment & Therapies

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Massachusetts

Start Working With a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist in Massachusetts

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What makes a person engage in harmful behaviors when they know these behaviors will result in negative consequences and keep them feeling stuck, anxious, and depressed?

It’s typically a series of negative thoughts that influence our behaviors and how we feel about ourselves. 

With Cognitive-behavioral therapy, also referred to as CBT, individuals will learn how to identify, challenge, and modify their unhelpful or harmful thoughts, behaviors, and emotional responses. 

CBT can be extremely helpful for people who are experiencing depression, anxiety disorders, trauma-related disorders, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, substance use disorder, and many other distressing mental health challenges. 

By working with one of our therapists at Handel Behavioral Health, trained in CBT, you can learn how to identify and adjust unhelpful or harmful thoughts and behaviors that no longer serve you. 

Our trained therapists have many treatment options tailored to your specific needs and goals. Start working with one of our CBT trained therapists in Amherst, West Springfield, Wilbraham, Franklin, Natick, or online in Masssachusetts today!

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of psychotherapy based on the direct interactions between our emotions, thoughts and behaviors. 

When you begin to adjust one of these elements, the others are affected. Basically, how we think can change our behavior. How we behave can change our mood which, in turn, influences our thoughts. 

Our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors create a cycle that, when influenced by negativity, can result in feelings of depression and anxiety. When positive influences are introduced into this cycle, the result can lead to feelings of hope, worth, and security.

Who Can Benefit from Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?

CBT has been shown to effectively treat a number of mental health conditions and/or disorders including:

CBT for the Treatment of Anxiety:

CBT is one of the most effective therapeutic interventions for anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobias. 

When your levels of anxiety are beginning to interfere with daily life, it is important to learn how your behaviors are responding to your thoughts. Cognitive distortions, like focusing on the worst possible outcome, are responsible for intense feelings of anxiety. 

As you begin to change your thoughts, you also learn the behavioral component of CBT. You will learn how to gradually face your fears rather than avoiding them, resulting in a more manageable and reduced response to situations over time. 

CBT for the Treatment of Depression:

CBT was originally developed to treat depression, and it continues to remain one of the most effective evidence-based techniques to treat depression. 

CBT gives people with depression the necessary tools to challenge negative thoughts and replace them with more realistic and positive thought processes. 

It also helps people recognize behavioral changes that can help improve their mood. For example, CBT can help people recognize the positive benefits of exercise, whereas once they may have found it difficult to move their body. 

How does CBT work?

During the CBT process, one of our trained CBT therapists will help clients identify negative or unhelpful thought patterns that may be resulting in feelings of anxiety and depression. 

The clinician will then help the client develop skills to maintain healthy thought patterns leading to constructive and productive behaviors. 

When this is achieved in one area of the client’s life, the therapist will then help the client recognize how they tailor this approach to other areas of their life. 

The process can be summarized in these phases:

  1. Evaluation or assessment
  2. Cognitive restructuring
  3. Skill development
  4. Skill application
  5. Generalizing treatment effects
  6. Follow-up assessment

With the guidance of a trained therapist, clients will discover how their current way of thinking may result in negative behavior patterns that are unintentionally delaying their healing and growth.

Start working with a CBT Therapist in Massachusetts:

At Handel Behavioral Health, we believe that everyone deserves to develop a healthy mental health perspective that will promote a meaningful and authentic life. 

You can find CBT in Massachusetts at Handel Behavioral Health.

Our mental health professionals trained in CBT are here to help you change unhealthy or unhelpful ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. You will learn practical ways to improve your quality of life when you start working with one of our therapists. 

To start working with one of our CBT therapists online in Massachusetts or in-person from our offices in Amherst, West Springfield, Wilbraham, Natick, and Franklin, contact us today at (413) 343-4357 or request an appointment online.

About The Author

Greg Handel Headshot

Greg has more than 35 years of experience providing positive life supports for individuals, couples and families. He has worked in several different environments including inpatient and outpatient mental health centers, rehabilitation facilities, congregate residential settings and in private practice. More About Author →