According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), over 1.11 million New Jersey adults suffer from a mental health condition, 42.2% of which either have anxiety or depression symptoms.

Of those experiencing anxiety or depression, 19.9% were unable to get the necessary intervention.

One effective treatment available to New Jerseyans is cognitive behavioral therapy. This is an evidence-based approach that helps patients develop healthy coping strategies.

If you’re interested, we can help you find CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) in NJ. But first, let’s discuss how CBT can benefit you.

cbt

What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy that explores how our feelings, thoughts, and behaviors are all connected. It was developed in the 1960s by Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis, both American experts on psychotherapy.

The idea behind CBT is pretty simple: how we think about a situation reinforces how we feel and, in turn, how we act. In other words, negative thoughts equal negative emotions equal negative behaviors, and vice versa.

That said, CBT pushes another core principle that can change your life—you can break this pattern and learn to cope in healthy ways.

Unlike other forms of psychotherapy, CBT doesn’t dig into the root cause of your psychological issues but instead focuses on the here and now.

How Does CBT Work?

CBT works in two phases. First is cognitive therapy, where you learn to recognize when you’re harboring unhelpful or negative thoughts.

The thing with people suffering from a mental health condition is that they can have skewed perceptions of facts and reality.

They spend their waking hours catastrophizing (expecting the worst), seeing everything is either all good or all bad (with no in-between), and engaging in all sorts of cognitive distortions.

In psychiatry, these thoughts are known to cause emotional distress and maladaptive behaviors, like avoidance, anger, impulsiveness, and self-harm. However, CBT empowers you to question the validity of these thoughts and reframe your thinking.

Once you’ve changed your internal processes, you move on to the behavioral part. Here, CBT trains you to develop healthier reactions, engagement, and coping skills. You essentially become your own coach or therapist with regular application of CBT techniques.

To sum up, CBT helps you:

  • Challenge irrational thoughts and replace them with more rational ones.
  • Avoid obsessing about the worst in situations.
  • Practice positive self-talk and affirmations.
  • Unlearn negative behavioral patterns.
  • Set realistic goals and break them down into small, manageable steps.

What Can CBT Help With?

CBT can be used in combination with other treatments to treat various mental health conditions, including:

  • Anxiety disorders (phobias, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder)
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Depression
  • Eating disorders
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Substance use disorders (SUD)
  • Schizophrenia

Besides mental health disorders, CBT can help you cope with your current problems, such as:

  • Daily stresses of life
  • Conflict resolution
  • Perfectionism
  • Poor self-esteem
  • Sadness or grief
  • Chronic pain
  • Neurological illnesses (functional neurological disorder, multiple sclerosis, etc.)

How to Find CBT Services in New Jersey

CBT is widely available in New Jersey. To find a licensed cognitive-behavioral therapist:

  • Ask your primary care doctor for a referral.
  • Contact local mental health clinics or hospitals.
  • Use the Psychologist Locator on the American Psychological Association website.
  • Browse online directories of mental health professionals like Psychology Today or ZenCare.
  • Check with your insurance company for in-network providers.
  • Look up New Jersey’s professional psychological associations.

Many therapists in NJ also specialize in CBT for specific populations, such as:

  • Children and adolescents
  • Adults
  • LGBTQ+ individuals
  • Veterans
  • Non-English speakers

Remember to verify the therapist’s credentials and experience with this type of therapy.

Fees, Coverage, and Out-of-Pocket Costs

On average, a CBT session in New Jersey costs about $192. This might be a little steep, but fortunately, many insurance plans cover CBT. It’s best to check with your provider to see what’s covered under your policy.

Online directories are the easiest way to find CBT therapists in your network—just set the filter to match your insurance company.

Even with mental health coverage, you may have a copay for each session, which should be similar to what you usually pay for most medical services. For instance, a $20 copay is common for a mental health visit.

Keep in mind that your insurer may review your case after a certain number of sessions to decide if more treatment is medically necessary based on their guidelines.

While the mental health parity law prevents companies from setting an annual cap on the number of services they’ll cover, this is generally allowed as long as they apply the same standards across all types of care.

You might also want to consider online therapy, which can be less expensive and more flexible than in-person sessions. Before starting treatment, discuss fees and payment options upfront with your potential CBT therapist.

What to Expect in a CBT Session

During your first session, your therapist will start by introducing themselves and giving you an overview of what CBT is and how it works.

They’ll ask you some questions to get to know you better—why you’re seeking therapy, what symptoms you’re experiencing, what triggers them, and how you’re coping.

Next, you’ll work with your therapist to set specific goals for your therapy. Based on your needs, your treatment plan will include how often you’ll meet, how long the sessions will last, and the strategies you’ll be using together.

On your next check-in, your therapist will likely ask how you’ve been since the last session and review any homework assignment you might have had. They might introduce new techniques and expect you to practice between sessions.

Sessions are usually 50–60 minutes long and occur weekly, at least at the start of treatment.

How Long Does CBT Treatment Take to Show Results?

The timeline for seeing results from CBT can vary from person to person. Usually, it depends on the severity of your issues, how consistently you attend meetings and do homework, and how quickly you’re able to apply CBT techniques in your daily life.

CBT is relatively short-term; a typical course might last 12–20 sessions. Some people may start noticing small changes within the first few sessions. Many report huge improvements after 8–12 weeks of consistent therapy.

Generally, it takes 3–4 months of regular sessions to experience the full benefits of CBT. After formal treatment ends, you should continue using these learned skills until they become second nature.

Forms of CBT

CBT is a larger category of many therapeutic approaches. Here are the most common CBT offshoots:

1. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MBCT)

MBCT combines mindfulness with CBT techniques as a maintenance therapy for people with repeated bouts of depression or anxiety.

People who’ve been depressed before think differently when they’re feeling down. Even small mood swings can trigger negative thinking patterns similar to those they had during previous episodes and lead to another full-blown depression.

MBCT teaches you to see these thoughts and feelings as passing events in your mind, rather than parts of who you are.

2. Exposure Therapy

This form of psychotherapy slowly exposes you to objects or situations that induce your anxiety until you become less sensitive to them.

By repeatedly facing your fears or triggers, you can start to see that these situations are not as dangerous as your anxiety makes them seem. That’s why this treatment option is particularly useful for anxiety disorders and phobias.

3. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

DBT is a type of psychotherapy that was originally developed to treat people with borderline personality disorder but is now used to help with a variety of mental health issues.

“Dialectical” refers to the idea of balancing opposite concepts. In DBT, the main balance is between accepting yourself as you are and changing damaging behaviors.

4. Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT)

REBT helps you become emotionally resilient by replacing irrational beliefs that are causing you misery with rational ones.

It’s based on the idea that our emotions are largely influenced by our thoughts, not just by external events. This means that even if negative events happen, our interpretation of those events determines how we feel.

Techniques Used in CBT

Here’s a look at the most common CBT techniques:

  • Activity Scheduling: Planning and engaging in enjoyable and meaningful activities
  • Behavioral Activation: Getting back into activities that you were avoiding
  • Graded Exposure: Overcoming your fears and anxiety by introducing you to something less intimidating and working your way up to more challenging situations
  • Guided Discovery: Reflecting on your thoughts and beliefs with the help of your therapist
  • Journaling: Writing down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to keep track of your thinking pattern and behavior
  • Relaxation Exercises: Learning practical skills, like deep breathing and meditation, to de-stress
  • Role-Playing: Acting out different scenarios to practice problem-solving skills and applying them to real-world situations

Final Thoughts

CBT is the current gold standard in psychotherapy. However, it’s important to understand that it’s a tool, not a complete solution. Think of it as training that gives you strategies for self-care and problem-solving.

Also, you might not see immediate results, and that’s okay. Be patient and keep practicing the techniques you learn in therapy. It’s common for deep-seated patterns to take time to change.

Try CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) in NJ today to improve your mental well-being.

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