Behaviour Therapy (CBT & DBT)

Online therapy and in-person sessions available.

What Is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy?

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a framework which encompasses a person’s here-and-now experience. It is an approach that helps give an understanding of the interactions between the person, their environment, their thoughts, feelings and their actions.

How does CBT work?

CBT will serve to identify unhelpful thought and behaviour patterns and modify and update them to help relieve PTSD symptoms. CBT can also help you identify how traumatic experiences may have affected your thoughts and behaviours.

The therapist will begin by getting to know you, and will ask you about your past, your experiences, and your beliefs to figure out what motivates you, how you handle disappointment and anger, and how you cope with things. Then, they’ll work with you to try to shift some of your thought patterns.

Who is CBT for?

It has been shown that virtually all problems can be formulated with CBT, but not everyone may benefit from a purely CBT approach. It does have a good track record for treating many problems, particularly if a person is:

  • Aware of their thoughts during sessions

  • Aware of different emotions

  • Can relate to the cognitive models

  • Can work on one issue at a time in a relatively focused way.

There are times however, where CBT may not be the optimum modality and using a different approach might be better. This is why our therapists have a range of different skills sets and are skilled in knowing what to use and when to try them.

What Is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy?

Dialectical means that two opposing things can exist at the same time. In therapy, this means that a person's suffering or problem can be acknowledged and validated at the same time as being able to work toward positive change in managing emotions and behaviours.

How does it work?

DBT looks at developing four key skills for processing intense emotions which are: mindfulness, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance. These four areas may be useful skills to develop for people experiencing symptoms of PTSD because intense distressing emotions will often feature.

Who is DBT for?

DBT was developed for people living with borderline personality disorder (BPD), but it has been shown to be effective for people living with a range of issues including PTSD, substance use, eating disorders, self harm, depression and self harm.

Try CBT or DBT Therapy in Kelowna, BC

Wondering if CBT or DBT is right for you? Book a free consultation with us. Our office is located in Kelowna, BC, but we serve clients all over the Greater Okanagan, Vernon, Penticton, Peachland, and surrounding areas.