Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Miami, FL
If you can understand HOW and WHY something happens, you can work to try to change it.
Sometimes we suffer from unwanted thoughts about ourselves, situations, or other people. Other times we emotionally react to something that happens to us in a way we didn’t expect to. Or we behave in a way that was extremely unhelpful to ourselves or someone else. We can reflect afterward and know it might not have been the best way to act, but at the moment, it felt so right and so real. We reacted in a way that may have been automatic. Why do we automatically react to things so negatively sometimes?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Addresses Negative Thinking
We often experience events in our lives that shape us or determine our value systems and outlooks on the world. Often times we can pinpoint how these events shaped us to some extent or in some capacity. However, sometimes we can’t.
Maybe something specific or traumatic happened to you in childhood. Maybe there’s a cultural or religious belief you grew up thinking that no longer resonates with how you think now. On the other hand, you might not know what happened exactly, but you do know that you keep thinking negatively or that the worst may happen. For example, let’s say you received criticism for something you did or said once and were made to feel as if you weren’t good enough. Now your mind automatically translates any form of non-positive feedback as,
“Yep, this means people don’t like me,” or tells you “This is exactly why you aren’t good at things.”
You Can Challenge & Change Unwanted Thoughts With CBT Therapy
When we’re having trouble letting go of these unwanted thoughts, behaviors, or emotions, it’s because there’s a negative core belief. Which is deeply connected to these thoughts, behaviors, or emotions. Core beliefs are strongly held ideas and philosophies we hold about ourselves, other people, the world around us, and even the future. They develop over time and after specific life events or circumstances, sometimes traumatic, sometimes not. Luckily, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you challenge and change these unwanted thoughts, behaviors, and emotions.
How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Help Feel Better
CBT therapy is a type of psychotherapy treatment that helps you identify negative core beliefs you may have. Additionally, it can help you work to change automatic negative thoughts that lead to unwanted behaviors and emotions. This is done through learning how behaviors and emotions are connected to the way we think.
The main goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to learn that you can’t control every aspect of the world around you. But you can attempt to control how you interpret and respond to things that happen around you through methods such as:
Recognizing the difference between an accurate thought and an inaccurate thought. Which has been distorted due to a negative core belief
Recognizing how inaccurate and automatic negative thoughts can make problems worse
Challenging and replacing automatic negative thoughts with accurate, helpful, and more realistic thoughts
Learning new skills on how to problem-solve
Learning how to face challenges, fears, and unwanted situations
Understanding the interaction of core beliefs and your self-worth to improve your confidence
Understanding the behavior and motivation of other people and how to respond to that
Learning strategies to calm anxious thoughts and feelings, lower depression symptoms, lower engagement in unwanted behaviors, and much more!
What To Expect From Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Miami
You and your Miami therapist will work on identifying patterns that exist that keep you from engaging in healthy and wanted thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. You’ll also identify potential strategies to use to overcome these patterns and break them. Here are some examples of CBT therapy strategies you and your therapist will use:
Identify Negative Thoughts and Patterns With CBT
You will learn how to identify specific triggers, such as situations, events, and people, that can cause the cycle to begin. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy uses something called the Cognitive Triangle to help you understand the interaction between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. As well as how they all work to sustain unwanted patterns that exist in your life that come from the things in your life that trigger you.
Practicing New Skills
You’ll be taught skills to help you in a variety of ways. Such as learning how to calm yourself down and lower different symptoms you may be experiencing through a variety of methods. Including:
breathing exercises
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
Guided meditation and imagery.
Setting Goals to Track Progress
Goal setting helps you to identify the changes you want to make and how to create a realistic goal for you to be able to track the progress you’ve made beginning from your first session.
Problem Solving
Problem-solving skills can help you identify and solve problems rather than simply reacting to problems. You’ll learn how to identify specific problems and create a list of potential solutions. From there you will determine the best solution based on the strengths and weaknesses of each and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution you chose.
Self-Monitoring With CBT
You will learn how to be your own support system and track your progress with the help of your therapist. Methods such as journaling/self-reflection of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors over a specific period of time will help you accomplish self-monitoring.
What Challenges Can Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Treat?
CBT Therapy is often used to treat a variety of physical and mental health challenges such as:
Low Self-Esteem
Grief and Loss
Chronic Pain, Health Concerns, or Newly Diagnoses Illnesses
Eating Disorders
Addiction or Substance Use
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Start Feeling Better With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Maimi, FL
Are you struggling with any unwanted thoughts, behaviors, and/or emotions? If you are ready to begin your mental wellness journey, Miami Vibes Counseling Center can help. Our Miami therapists can help you figure out if making Cognitive Behavioral Therapy a part of your treatment plan is the right fit for you!
Contact us to speak with a Miami Vibes Counseling Center team member
Work with a therapist to decide if CBT Therapy can help you
Start addressing negative core beliefs
Other Mental Health Counseling Services That We Offer In Miami, Florida
We offer several therapy services to help meet the mental health needs of you and your family. From in-person therapy at our Miami, FL-based counseling space to expert online therapy in Florida, we are ready to support your mental health journey. Our caring Miami therapists offer a variety of other techniques including TFCBT, EMDR, play therapy, and Brainspotting. These methods can help with the treatment of PTSD, trauma, anxiety, depression, and stress. Besides individual therapy we also offer children’s therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, parent support, and more!
En Miami Vibes Counseling Center ofrecemos terapia en español.