What CBT is:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with children is an empirically-supported treatment that helps kids identify how their thought patterns contribute to their emotions and behaviors. The goal of CBT with children is to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and develop more adaptive ways of thinking and behaving. CBT is a very active, present-focused therapy in which children are taught to identify their thoughts and then catch and correct any potential errors they make in the ways they talk to themselves. In addition, CBT with kids involves a heavy emphasis on helping people engage in behaviors that are likely to help them create newer and healthier beliefs about themselves.
Therapeutic Components:
- Structure: CBT with children is a present oriented, structured, and goal-driven type of talk therapy. Sessions are structured around tracking and changing thought patterns.
- Theory: CBT with kids is anchored in the theory of cognitive-behaviorism. This means that it teaches different ways to think about situations as a way to change emotions and behaviors.
- Intervention: CBT interventions with children involve observing unhelpful thought patterns, actively working to find more adaptive thought patterns, and practicing behaviors that align with new thought patterns (both in and between sessions!).
- Modalities: The TAP Clinic offers CBT for children ages 8+ with an individual therapist.
How are parents included in treatment?
We know from research and experience that treatment with kids is most effective when parents are involved! Especially with younger children, the therapist will likely include parents in sessions to learn about their child’s mental health difficulties, discuss CBT skills and strategies, increase positive reinforcement of therapeutic techniques, and help change the home environment to support progress in therapy. We view parents as the experts on their children and ideally CBT for children is a collaborative process between the therapist, child, and parents.
It’s also not uncommon for children to refuse or to not be ready to engage in CBT treatment due to a number of factors (e.g., motivation, developmental readiness, time). When children are not willing or ready to be involved in treatment, we offer Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) as an environmental intervention to help children. BPT has been shown to be effective on its own in addressing many mental health conditions, particularly anxiety and mood disorders.
What CBT for Children treats: