What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a widely used, evidence-based form of therapy that focuses on the relationship between thoughts, behaviors, and emotions, and helps to identify unhelpful patterns of thoughts/cognitions and behaviors, in order to develop more effective coping strategies.

CBT is different from historical approaches to therapy, such as the psychoanalytic approach where the therapist looks for the unconscious meaning behind behaviors and then formulates a diagnosis, or from more traditional and readily available "talk therapy". Instead, CBT is a "problem-focused" and "action-oriented" form of therapy, meaning it is used to treat specific problems related to a diagnosed condition. The therapist's role is to assist the client in finding and practicing effective strategies to address the identified goals and decrease symptoms interfering with that individual's daily functioning.

CBT is recommended as the first line of treatment for a majority of psychological disorders.  Depending on the severity of a client's condition, CBT may be effective by itself without the need for medication, however, often CBT is recommended in combination with proper psychiatric medication management in order to have the best chance of a speedy and long lasting recovery.

What is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)?

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a specific form of CBT that is most notably used to treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  It is considered to be the "Gold Standard" of treatment for OCD.  As it's name suggests, it involves two components:

1. Exposure, which refers to purposefully confronting the thoughts, images, and/or situations that tend to make you anxious; and,
2. Response Prevention, which refers to learning to willfully choose to NOT engage in compulsive behaviors that are habitually used by an individual to artificially make anxiety/distress decrease.

Many patients report feeling this therapy will not be proper for them, citing that they have tried to do something similar on their own without much success.  I'm here to tell you that you can do this! While ERP may seem too difficult or downright impossible for you, my goal is to work one-on-one with each client collaboratively, to tailor steps of therapy to be challenging yet not overwhelming.  There is a big difference trying to take such steps on your own vs. with the informed guidance of a trained professional with years of experience at conducting ERP.  Done properly ERP does not lead to long-term increases in anxiety and worsening symptoms as many fear it will - instead it is likely to lead to a decrease in anxiety and obsessive compulsive symptoms.  This allows you the freedom to live life the way YOU want, not the way your OCD wants.