Starting Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is kind of like setting out on a journey to better understand yourself and make real changes. It’s all about teaming up with a therapist to take a closer look at how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors all connect and how they might be getting in your way.
What should you expect from your CBT therapist?
First up, build a solid relationship with your therapist. This is a safe, judgment-free zone where you can be open and honest. Your therapist’s role is to listen with empathy, help you understand what’s going on beneath the surface, and work with you to come up with a game plan that actually fits your life.
What can CBT help with?
One of the main goals of CBT is to help you recognize and shift unhelpful thought patterns, especially the ones that cause emotional stress or keep you stuck. CBT is a structured, goal-focused form of talk therapy, also known as Psychotherapy. A lot of these thoughts aren’t based in facts and don’t actually help you. An example of this would be “mind reading,” where you assume what others think or feel without any real evidence. This adds pressure and makes things feel harder than they really are—sometimes before you’ve even started.
Together, you and your therapist will learn to challenge those thoughts, reframe them, and start building a more balanced, realistic mindset. Over time, this helps you break free from those mental loops and move toward a healthier headspace.
So, what kinds of things can CBT actually help with? Honestly, a lot.
Mental health concerns:
- Depression (including SAD, persistent depression, & major depression)
- Anxiety (social, panic disorder, separation anxiety—you name it)
- OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
- PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
- ADHD
- Phobias
- Personality disorders
- Eating disorders
- Addiction (including alcohol and substance use)
Physical health concerns:
- Insomnia
- Chronic pain
- Chronic fatigue
- Migraines
Everyday life stress:
- Relationship troubles or feeling stuck in your love life
- Work stress (with the job itself or the people there)
- Grief and loss
- Big life changes (like a medical diagnosis, a move, or a breakup)
- General stress and having trouble coping
CBT’s been proven over and over to work. Will it fix everything overnight? Nope. But what it will do is give you tools that you can carry into the rest of your life. You’ll start becoming more self-reliant, learning to handle hard stuff as it comes.
Overcoming obstacles in CBT
Let’s talk about the time commitment. Most sessions are around 45 minutes to an hour. And yes, it can be hard to open up or work through heavy stuff. But you’ll walk away with something useful every time. Think of each session as adding another tool to your back pocket for those moments when you need a little shift in your thoughts.
A big part of CBT is understanding how your thoughts affect your emotions and behaviors. Here’s a quick example:
Alex has social anxiety and dreads giving presentations at work.
- Thought: “Everyone’s going to think I’m stupid.”
- Emotion: Anxiety, fear, self-doubt
- Behavior: Calls in sick or stumbles through it
CBT helps by breaking it down:
- Write the thought down.
- Ask: “What’s the actual evidence for this?” “Did anyone actually say you stupid?”
- Replace it with: “I’ve prepared. Some people may be distracted, but that doesn’t mean they’re judging me. I’ve done fine before.”
- New Emotion: Still a bit nervous, but more confident
- New Behavior: Gives the presentation instead of avoiding it
This is just one of many tools CBT gives you to help tackle challenges and build confidence.
What about the cost?
Let’s be real here for a second. Therapy can feel expensive. But not getting help can be even more costly in the long run. When you’re struggling and putting it off, things tend to snowball. Depression, anxiety, loneliness, even thoughts of suicide. They can all creep in and get worse the longer you wait. You deserve better than just pushing through on your own, and the therapists at Evolve Counseling Fort Collins can help you as specialists in CBT.
And the good news? Online therapy, as an option, makes it way more flexible. With Evolve, you can meet with a therapist on your lunch break, in your car, in the comfort of your bed, or between classes. You don’t have to carve out hours of your day to get support.
And if you’re worried about needing therapy forever, don’t. CBT is built not to keep you in therapy forever. It’s designed to help you build independence. You’ll start with regular sessions, but as you grow and gain tools, you’ll need fewer check-ins. Eventually, you may just pop in every now and then or not at all.
How CBT helps you grow
One of the best things about CBT is how action-focused it is. It’s not just sitting and talking about your feelings (though that’s important too). You’ll also set real, doable goals with your therapist, stuff you can work on outside of sessions.
You’ll build up a whole toolkit of coping skills and problem-solving strategies that apply to real life. And the more you use them, the more confident and capable you’ll feel when life throws curveballs your way.
CBT isn’t just therapy. It’s a hands-on way to learn how to take back control, manage your mind, and move toward a more balanced, fulfilling life.
One more example for the road.
Meet Marcus. He’s been working the same job for years and feels like he’s falling behind his peers. Everyone on LinkedIn seems more successful. (Because everything we see online is real)
“I’ve wasted my potential. It’s too late to start over.”
- Thought: “I’m a failure compared to others.”
- Emotion: Shame, low self-esteem
- Behavior: Avoids applying for new jobs or learning new skills
- Comparison trap: Judging his behind-the-scenes, by everyone else’s highlight reel
- Fortune-telling/Mind Reading: Assuming the future is set in stone and others think lesser of him
CBT Helps to break this down.
“Everyone has a different timeline. I’m allowed to grow and change at any point in life. I control what I do in my life.”
- Lists one thing he’s proud of in his current role
- Signs up for a short online course to spark momentum
- Updates his resume — even if he’s not ready to apply yet
“I don’t have to be where others are. I just have to move forward.”
At Evolve Counseling Services, Lindsey Phillips, LPC, and Ben Smith, LPC, specialize in CBT and are a highly trusted practice for helping college students and established adults manage depression and anxiety. If you’re ready to feel more like yourself again or take control of those intrusive thoughts, we’re here to help. We work with students at CSU, FRCC, and offer therapy sessions online for anyone across Colorado.
