CBT Therapy - Live Life Now
Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life
CBT gives you tools to shift thought patterns & develop better coping mechanisms.
What CBT Does
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, & behaviors. These three elements interact constantly. Change one & you change the others.
Your thoughts influence how you feel. When you think “I’m going to fail,” you feel anxious. When you think “Nobody likes me,” you feel sad. When you think “This is dangerous,” you feel afraid. The thought comes first, the feeling follows.
Your feelings influence how you behave. When you feel anxious, you avoid situations. When you feel sad, you withdraw. When you feel afraid, you escape. The behavior makes sense given the feeling.
Your behaviors reinforce your thoughts. When you avoid, you confirm the thought that the situation is threatening. When you withdraw, you confirm the thought that you’re unlikable. When you escape, you confirm the thought that you couldn’t handle it. The cycle continues.
CBT interrupts this cycle by changing thoughts & behaviors. You learn to notice thoughts, examine them, & test them. You experiment with different behaviors & observe what happens. Over time, the cycle shifts.
This isn’t positive thinking. It’s not about replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. It’s about recognizing distorted thoughts & testing them against reality. Sometimes your thoughts are accurate. Sometimes they’re not. CBT teaches you to tell the difference.
Common thought distortions show up across anxiety, depression, & other conditions. All-or-nothing thinking sees everything as black or white, success or failure, with no middle ground. Catastrophizing assumes the worst possible outcome will happen. Overgeneralization takes one instance & applies it to everything. Mental filtering focuses only on negatives while ignoring positives. Mind reading assumes you know what others think. Fortune telling predicts the future negatively. Should statements create rigid rules about how things must be.
These distortions feel true. Your brain presents them as facts. CBT teaches you to recognize them as thoughts, not reality. Thoughts are mental events. They don’t have to control your emotions or actions.
CBT is structured, time-limited, & goal-focused. Sessions have agendas. You learn specific skills. You practice between sessions. Progress is measurable. This isn’t open-ended exploration. It’s targeted at skill-building.
Research backs CBT extensively. Hundreds of studies show it works for anxiety disorders, depression, panic, OCD, PTSD, eating disorders, insomnia, & more. The effects last after treatment ends because you’ve learned skills you keep using.
How We Use CBT
CBT at Live Life Now means active work, not passive talk. You’re learning skills & applying them immediately.
Identifying Thought Patterns
starts your work. We track your thoughts throughout the week. When do negative thoughts spike? What triggers them? What patterns repeat? Most people aren’t aware of their automatic thoughts until they start paying attention. These thoughts run in the background, influencing everything.
You learn to catch thoughts as they happen. This requires practice. At first, you notice them after the fact. Eventually, you catch them in the moment. Once you can identify thoughts, you can work with them.
Examining Evidence
tests whether thoughts are accurate. You have the thought “Everyone thinks I’m stupid.” We examine evidence for & against this thought. Did someone actually say you’re stupid? Did you make a mistake & assume that means you’re stupid? Is there evidence that people respect your intelligence? This examination reveals that thoughts often aren’t based on facts.
Considering Alternative Perspectives
opens possibilities. Your thought is “I failed because I’m incompetent.” What else could explain what happened? Were circumstances difficult? Did you lack information? Was the standard unrealistic? Alternative explanations often fit the facts better than your initial thought.
Conducting Behavioral Experiments
provides real data. You think “If I speak up in meetings, people will think I’m dumb.” The experiment: speak up in a meeting & observe what actually happens. Often, nothing bad occurs. The experiment disproves the thought more effectively than any logical argument.
Activity Scheduling
combats depression & avoidance. Depression says “I don’t feel like doing anything, so I won’t.” CBT says “Do things first, feelings follow.” We schedule activities that provide accomplishment or pleasure. You do them regardless of motivation. This breaks the inactivity cycle that maintains depression.
Exposure Work
addresses avoidance. Anxiety maintains itself through avoidance. Every time you avoid something, you confirm to your brain that it’s dangerous. Exposure involves gradually facing feared situations. You start with less anxiety-provoking situations & build up. Each exposure teaches your brain that the situation isn’t as dangerous as it predicts.
Problem-Solving Skills
address real issues. Some thoughts stem from actual problems. “I’m overwhelmed at work” might be accurate. CBT helps you break problems into manageable pieces, generate solutions, evaluate options, & take action. This reduces feeling helpless.
Relaxation & Coping Skills
manage physical symptoms. Anxiety creates muscle tension, rapid breathing, racing heart. You learn techniques to calm your body: deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, grounding exercises. These tools interrupt the physical component of anxiety.
Core Belief Work
addresses deep-seated beliefs. Below automatic thoughts are core beliefs: fundamental beliefs about yourself, others, & the world. “I’m unlovable,” “People can’t be trusted,” “The world is dangerous.” These beliefs develop early & influence everything. Changing them takes sustained work but creates lasting change.
Relapse Prevention
prepares you for setbacks. Symptoms might return during stressful times. CBT teaches you to recognize early warning signs & use tools before problems escalate. You develop a plan for maintaining gains.
The work requires effort between sessions. CBT isn’t about spending an hour each week talking. It’s about practicing skills daily. The more you practice, the faster change happens.
What CBT Helps With
CBT has strong evidence for many conditions:
Anxiety Disorders
respond well to CBT. This includes generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder, & specific phobias. You learn to identify anxious thoughts, test them, & face feared situations gradually.
Depression
improves with CBT. You learn to recognize negative thought patterns, increase activities that provide pleasure or accomplishment, & solve problems that contribute to depression.
Panic Attacks
decrease with CBT. You learn what’s happening in your body during panic, why it’s not dangerous, & how to ride out attacks without making them worse through avoidance or safety behaviors.
Social Anxiety
reduces through CBT. You examine thoughts about being judged, test them through experiments, & gradually face social situations you’ve been avoiding.
OCD
responds to CBT, particularly exposure & response prevention. You expose yourself to obsessive thoughts without performing compulsions. This teaches your brain that the anxiety will decrease on its own.
PTSD
can be treated with trauma-focused CBT. You process traumatic memories, challenge trauma-related beliefs, & face situations you’ve been avoiding since the trauma.
Insomnia
improves with CBT for insomnia (CBT-I). You address thoughts & behaviors that interfere with sleep & develop better sleep habits.
Eating Disorders
benefit from CBT. You work on thoughts about food, weight, & body image, along with behaviors around eating.
Chronic Pain
becomes more manageable with CBT. You change thoughts about pain, reduce catastrophizing, & increase functioning despite pain.
What Sessions Include
Each session follows a structure. This predictability helps you know what to expect & makes efficient use of time.
Check-In starts sessions. What happened last time? How did homework go? What symptoms or situations came up? This review guides the session agenda.
Agenda Setting ensures we address your priorities. You bring topics or problems you want to work on. We decide together what to focus on this session.
Skill Building introduces new techniques or refines ones you’re learning. We might teach a new way to examine thoughts, practice an exposure, or develop a behavioral experiment.
Application to Current Issues takes skills & applies them to what you’re dealing with now. You’re not just learning abstract techniques. You’re using them on your actual problems.
Homework Assignment sets up practice for the week. Homework is essential. It might include thought records, behavioral experiments, scheduled activities, or exposures. The work between sessions is where change happens.
Summary & Questions end sessions. We review what you learned, clarify any confusion, & ensure you know what to practice.
Sessions last 50 minutes, typically weekly. Consistency matters. Missing sessions slows progress because skills build on each other.
Early sessions focus on education & basic skills. You learn the CBT model, start identifying thoughts, & practice basic techniques.
Middle sessions involve applying skills to your specific problems. You’re doing exposures, running experiments, & tackling thought patterns that maintain symptoms.
Later sessions focus on relapse prevention & generalization. You’re using skills across situations & preparing to maintain gains after therapy ends.
Common Questions About CBT
How long does CBT take?
Most people see results in 12-16 sessions. Some conditions respond faster. Others take longer, especially if symptoms are severe or long-standing. Unlike some therapies, CBT has a defined endpoint.
What if I don't want homework?
CBT requires practice between sessions. Without homework, progress slows significantly. The session teaches skills, but homework is where you develop competence. If you’re not willing to practice, CBT might not be the right fit.
Is CBT right for everyone?
CBT works well for many conditions. It fits people who want structured, goal-directed treatment & are willing to practice skills. It might not fit if you want open-ended exploration or aren’t ready to change behaviors.
Will I have to talk about my childhood?
Not necessarily. CBT focuses on current thoughts & behaviors. If childhood experiences created core beliefs affecting you now, we address those beliefs. But we don’t spend extensive time analyzing your past.
What if my thoughts are true?
Sometimes thoughts are accurate. CBT doesn’t force you to think positively about things that are genuinely bad. It helps you respond effectively to real problems & stop catastrophizing about them.
Can I do CBT if I'm on medication?
Yes. CBT & medication work well together for many conditions. Some people need both. Others find CBT alone sufficient. Medication can provide symptom relief while you learn skills.
Learn Practical Tools
CBT gives you skills that last. After treatment ends, you keep using what you learned. When symptoms return, you know how to address them. You have tools, not just insights.
This approach requires active participation. You can’t be passive in CBT. You’re learning skills, practicing them, & applying them to your life. The more effort you put in, the better your results.
Your first session involves assessment & education. We’ll discuss your symptoms, what you’re hoping to change, & how CBT works. We’ll start identifying thought patterns & setting goals. From there, we build your treatment plan.
CBT works when you work it. The structure, the homework, the experiments all serve a purpose. Trust the process, do the work, & you’ll see results.
Client Testimonials
“I was skeptical about therapy. I had tried a few therapists in the past and didn’t feel seen. But here, I found someone who really got it. We talked about my anxiety around work performance, but also about being a Black man navigating stress and expectations. It’s been a game-changer. I don’t just cope—I’m growing.”
“What stood out to me was the empathy and skill of my therapist. I’ve struggled with perfectionism and shame for most of my adult life. Through therapy and the skills lab sessions, I finally learned how to soothe my inner critic. I feel like I can breathe again. Therapy didn’t fix me—it helped me meet myself with kindness.”
“Therapy helped me understand patterns I was blind to—especially in relationships. I used to push people away before they could hurt me. Now I see how fear was driving me, and I’ve started building real, open connections. I didn’t expect to feel so supported. I’m grateful I gave this space a chance.”
“I began therapy because I felt constantly overwhelmed and unsure of my place in the world. My therapist helped me make sense of my anxiety and gave me real tools to cope. The mindfulness work we did together shifted how I relate to myself. I no longer feel broken—I feel human.”
“I came in feeling numb and disconnected. Years of pushing down emotions had left me empty. Through therapy, I started to understand my emotional world for the first time. I even learned how to talk about feelings with my teenage son. That’s something I never thought I’d be able to do.”
“I work in a helping profession, so I thought I should have it all figured out. But therapy showed me that even caregivers need care. I loved the blend of compassion and structure my therapist brought. The two-hour sessions were particularly transformative—they gave me time to unpack and rebuild.”
“For years, I thought my relationship issues were just bad luck. But therapy helped me understand attachment styles, boundaries, and my own patterns. I learned to stop chasing unavailable people and start showing up for myself. It’s been deeply healing.”
“I never thought I’d be someone who goes to therapy. But I hit a wall and couldn’t keep pretending everything was fine. From the first session, I felt a deep respect and safety here. We unpacked years of suppressed grief and stress. I’ve come out stronger, not just mentally, but emotionally and spiritually too.”
“As a young woman dealing with depression and identity confusion, therapy gave me a place to speak freely. I no longer feel like I’m faking confidence. I’ve found my voice, and for the first time, I actually feel like I belong in my own life.”
