One of the most researched and most effective modalities of psychological treatment is CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. CBT focuses on changing thoughts as well as behaviors in order to get control of your feelings.

CBT's most basic premise is that thoughts don't "just happen.” There is an activating event or situation that triggers a thought and the thought precedes emotion. These thoughts are unnoticeable to many of us, but crucial to understanding why we get so emotionally stirred.

So much of my work with clients focuses on utilizing CBT, and to do so, we have to identify what the client is saying to themselves. What is the internal self-talk? Is it self-deprecating? Overly optimistic? Does it contain unrealistic expectations, whether of themselves or of others?

So how do you tune into that little voice? Often times, the easiest way to identify a cognitive distortion is to track it backward from a strong emotion. You notice intense embarrassment or a feeling of humiliation after dealing with a coworker. Track back the activating event (She asked what time I came in to work) and you might identify a thought that came after that (She thinks I am a slacker).

Once we know what you are saying to yourself, we can identify the faulty thoughts and devise rational alternatives. For more on CBT with Anxiety click here ; for CBT with Depression click here ; and for CBT with weight management issues click here and here .

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