What to Expect

The first session will always be an intake appointment. During this appointment a thorough assessment will be completed of your history and current symptoms. This session will serve as more of an information gathering session rather than a treatment session. You can typically expect a brief summary of what CBT is and a general overview of how CBT may be helpful to you.

The second session will typically be a treatment planning session. One of the most important parts of treatment is having a clear idea of where we are heading. In order to prevent meandering sessions that lead to little, if any, movement in the direction you want, a session will be dedicated to adequately exploring your treatment goals.

Additional sessions will be structured and will include an opportunity for collaboration on what the session will be used for. This will be linked to your overall goals in order to ensure that we are making the best use of the time. Sessions are structured and action oriented. CBT is not talk therapy; it is goal oriented treatment. This means that each session will focus on a strategy to help you move towards your goals and a plan for how you can use this strategy over the coming week to expand your practice and learning.

There will always be an “action plan” or practice component in the time between sessions. Attending therapy regularly is a great way to take the first step towards achieving your goals but if you do nothing between sessions, the therapy most likely will not be very helpful. CBT is all about creating new ways to approach the challenging situations and experiences that you have in your life. With most things in life, if you don’t practice it, it will be pretty hard to become an expert.