What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)? A Practical Approach to Changing Thoughts, Emotions, and Behavior

If you've ever felt stuck in negative thoughts or overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, or self-doubt, you're not alone. The good news? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a powerful, proven approach that can help you break those cycles and feel more in control of your life.

What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

CBT is a structured, short-term, goal-oriented form of psychotherapy that focuses on the connection between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

The basic idea:

How you think affects how you feel, and how you feel affects how you behave.

By learning to recognize and shift unhelpful thought patterns, CBT helps you respond to life’s challenges in healthier, more productive ways.

What Issues Can CBT Help With?

CBT is evidence-based and has been shown to be effective for a wide range of concerns, including:

Anxiety and panic attacks, depression, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress (PTSD), insomnia, low self-esteem, stress management, negative thinking and self-criticism.

Even if you don’t have a formal diagnosis, CBT can help you improve your overall mental wellness and develop healthier ways of thinking.

How Does CBT Work in Practice?

CBT isn’t just about talking—it’s about actively learning and practicing new ways of thinking and behaving. Here’s what a typical CBT process looks like:

1. Identifying Negative Thoughts

You’ll learn to recognize automatic thoughts—those quick, often negative reactions that influence how you feel. For example, “I’ll mess this up,” “They don’t like me,” or “I can’t handle this.”

2. Challenging Cognitive Distortions

CBT helps you question the truth of those thoughts. Are they based on facts or fear? Are you catastrophizing or making assumptions?

3. Reframing Your Thinking

You’ll work on replacing unhelpful thoughts with more realistic, balanced ones. Not toxic positivity—just thoughts that help you respond rather than react.

4. Behavioral Experiments

I often assign small, practical exercises between sessions (called “homework”) to help you test new ways of thinking and acting in real-life situations.

5. Building Lasting Skills

Over time, CBT teaches you how to become your own therapist—so you can apply these tools long after therapy ends.

What Makes CBT So Effective?

It’s practical and results-focused – You’ll learn skills you can use immediately in your everyday life.

It’s evidence-based – Decades of research show strong results for a variety of mental health concerns.

Is CBT Right for You?

CBT can be especially helpful if you:

Like structure and clear goals, want tools and strategies, not just insight, are dealing with specific challenges like anxiety, stress, or low self-worth, feel overwhelmed by your thoughts or emotions and want a new way forward.

What Clients Say About CBT:

“CBT helped me realize how much power I had over my thoughts—and how changing them could change my life.”

“I used to spiral with anxiety. Now I have tools I can lean on when things get tough.”

“It’s not always easy, but it’s practical—and it works.”

Ready to Take the First Step?

If you’re tired of being stuck in the same patterns and want real, lasting change, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help.

Contact me today! (916)299-5596

Healing from Trauma: How Therapy in Sacramento Can Help You Reclaim Your Life

Trauma can leave deep emotional scars—sometimes long after the event is over. Whether it was a single incident or years of chronic stress, trauma affects your mind, body, and relationships. But healing is possible—and you're not alone.

If you're in Sacramento, California, and looking for trauma-informed therapy, this post will help you understand what trauma is, how it shows up, and how therapy can support your healing journey.

What Is Trauma?

Trauma isn’t just about what happened—it’s about how your nervous system was impacted. It can result from:

A car accident or physical injury, abuse or neglect (past or present), sudden loss or grief, sexual assault or domestic violence, medical trauma, childhood emotional neglect, ongoing stress (like growing up in an unstable environment) trauma overwhelms your ability to cope and can leave you feeling anxious, disconnected, hypervigilant, or numb.

Common Signs of Unresolved Trauma

You may be living with trauma symptoms and not even realize it. These can include: anxiety or panic attacks, nightmares or sleep disturbances, irritability or mood swings, feeling emotionally numb or detached, difficulty trusting others, avoiding reminders of the past, flashbacks or intrusive thoughts, a persistent feeling of being unsafe—even when nothing is wrong.

Trauma can also impact relationships, self-worth, and your ability to feel joy or connection.

You're Not "Too Broken"—You're Just Human

Trauma responses are not weaknesses—they are survival mechanisms. Your brain and body adapted to help you get through something overwhelming. Therapy helps you safely process what happened so that it no longer controls your present.

How Trauma Therapy in Sacramento Can Help:

Trauma-informed therapy creates a safe, nonjudgmental space where you can heal at your own pace. You don’t need to relive every detail to get better—in fact, I will never push you beyond what you’re ready for.

Approaches I use include:

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): Helps your brain reprocess painful memories without talking through every detail.

Somatic Techniques: Address how trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps shift negative thought patterns that keep trauma responses stuck.

Inner child work and attachment-focused therapy: For those dealing with childhood trauma or long-term emotional wounds.

Why Sacramento Residents Are Seeking Trauma Therapy Now

With everything from pandemic stress to rising anxiety around safety and uncertainty, more people in Sacramento, CA are turning to therapy for support. Whether you're living downtown, in East Sacramento, Midtown, or nearby areas like Elk Grove or Roseville, it’s never been more important to prioritize your mental health.

The good news? There’s support right here in your community.

What Clients Say About Trauma Therapy:

“I finally understand why I react the way I do—and that I’m not broken. Therapy helped me reconnect with myself.”

“I was stuck in survival mode. Now I’m learning how to feel safe again.”

“After EMDR, I can remember the past without feeling like I’m back in it.”

Looking for Trauma Therapy in Sacramento, California?

As a trauma-informed therapist in Sacramento, I offer compassionate, evidence-based care tailored to your needs. Whether you're dealing with PTSD, complex trauma, or emotional wounds that just won’t heal on their own—I’m here to support you.

Healing is possible. Let’s take the next step together.

Schedule a Free Consultation!

If you're ready to start healing from trauma and want support from a local therapist in Sacramento, CA, I invite you to contact me today.

Call or text me at (916)299-5596 :)

What Is Narrative Therapy? Rewriting Your Story to Reclaim Your Life

Have you ever felt stuck in a story about yourself—like “I’m not good enough”, “I always mess things up”, or “I’m just an anxious person”? These internal narratives often shape how we see ourselves and our lives—but they don’t have to define us forever.

Narrative Therapy is a powerful, collaborative approach that helps you separate yourself from your problems and rewrite the story of who you are and what’s possible.

If you’re looking for a compassionate, strength-based approach to therapy, this might be exactly what you need.

What Is Narrative Therapy?

Narrative Therapy is a form of talk therapy that centers on the idea that we understand our lives through stories. These stories are shaped by our experiences, culture, families, and even the labels we’ve picked up over time.

Some of those stories are empowering. But others—often rooted in pain, trauma, or societal expectations—can be limiting or even harmful.

Narrative Therapy helps you:

Identify the stories that have been shaping your identity and relationships, explore where those stories came from and why they stuck, and challenge and re-author those stories to reflect your strengths, values, and hopes.

In short: You are not the problem. The problem is the problem—and it can be rewritten.

How Does Narrative Therapy Work?

Rather than focusing on diagnosis or pathology, Narrative Therapy is built around collaboration and curiosity. You and I work together to:

Externalize the Problem: Instead of saying “I am depressed”, you might begin to explore “How is depression showing up in my life—and what is it trying to control?” This simple shift helps reduce shame and opens space for change.

Explore Alternative Stories: Narrative Therapy invites you to notice overlooked strengths and times when you resisted the problem—often called “unique outcomes”. These are clues that you’re more resilient than the dominant story suggests.

Deconstruct Cultural Narratives: We also explore how societal messages (about gender, success, race, family, etc.) may have shaped your current story in ways that don't serve you.

Reauthor Your Narrative (Don’t worry, I’ll help you!) Together, we’ll begin rewriting your story from a place of agency, meaning, and possibility.

Who Can Benefit from Narrative Therapy?

Narrative Therapy is helpful for individuals, couples, and even families. It’s especially effective for those struggling with: anxiety and depression, trauma or grief, identity issues (gender, sexuality, cultural background), relationship conflicts, low self-esteem or shame, and feeling “stuck” in the past.

It’s a great fit for people who want to feel more empowered, more understood, and more connected to their personal values.

Why Clients Choose Narrative Therapy

“I stopped seeing myself as broken and started seeing myself as someone who had survived—and who could choose differently.”

“Narrative Therapy gave me language for things I hadn’t been able to express before.”

“It helped me take control of the story I was telling myself about who I am.”

Narrative Therapy Is Collaborative, Not Prescriptive

Unlike some therapies that follow a fixed plan, Narrative Therapy meets you where you are. You’re the expert in your own life—and I am here to walk alongside you, not dictate what healing should look like.

Looking for Narrative Therapy Near You?

If you're ready to explore a new way of understanding yourself and your story, Narrative Therapy may be the right fit. I offer Narrative Therapy for individuals and couples who want to heal from the past, reconnect with their values, and move forward with confidence.

Whether you’re in Sacramento, California or seeking online therapy in a supportive, collaborative space—I'm here to help you reclaim your narrative.

Start Rewriting Your Story Today!!

Your past doesn’t have to define your future. Let’s explore what else is possible.

Schedule a free consultation at (916)299-5596