TEAM-CBT
Here’s what it is…
TEAM-CBT is an evidence-based therapy that examines our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors during defining moments in our lives.
It assumes that your emotions are connected to your thoughts and behaviors. So, if you change your thoughts and behaviors, you can change your emotional state.
That’s right! When you change how you think about things, you can experience profound and lasting changes in your mood, outlook, and productivity.
This method provides simple, well-defined, actionable ways of changing your present thoughts and actions to deliver fast, sustainable anxiety relief.
There are five key elements…
T – Testing
Throughout your treatment, you will be asked regularly to assess your level of distress and life satisfaction. Looking at metrics over time, we’ll have an objective measure of how our work is helping improve your well-being.
E – Empathy
Before starting the more active part of therapy, I will listen to your story. We’ll develop a warm, compassionate relationship, but I won’t try to “rescue” or “fix” you. Experiencing empathy will create a foundation of openness, authenticity, and vulnerability from which to work.
A – Agenda-Setting
We’ll collaborate and develop a shared agenda. That means that, together, we’ll create a treatment plan that outlines your goals and how we’ll make progress. No more going through therapy lost as to what you are supposed to be working or reflecting on!
M – Methods
TEAM brings together over 50 methods for change. There are several powerful techniques to attack every angle of your unhelpful thoughts, helping you find constructive alternatives to each.
CBT – Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
According to CBT, how we interpret and appraise the world determines our feelings and actions. In treatment, you will learn skills to identify your patterns of relating to the world, evaluate their usefulness, and modify them when necessary. This will allow you to face your present challenges more effectively and equip you to deal with future challenges.
Here’s what it looks like in session…
Emmy* was a young woman pursuing a writing career.
Since childhood, she was convinced she had to be a literary genius to be appreciated. She sought treatment because she felt like a “second-rate” writer.
She was easily hurt by criticism and often made herself miserable by comparing herself to popular, successful writers. She was certain her friends and family thought she was mediocre, and she concluded that she would never receive her fair share of love, praise, and admiration.
As she told me how defeated she felt…
I listened warmly, acknowledging the pain without trying to “help” or offer suggestions.
Then, I asked if she was ready to work on her lack of self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, shame, and anxiety.
She was ready to get to it, so I asked her this question:
“If a miracle happened in today’s session, what would it be?”
Emmy hoped she would be free from the feelings of inadequacy and lack of self-confidence she’d struggled with her whole life.
I told her to imagine there was a “magic button” she could press that would make her negative thoughts and feelings vanish. She said she wanted to press the button.
I then told Emmy to wait a minute before pressing that metaphorical button. I had her notice how her negative thoughts and feelings were actually reflections of positive messages from her core values.
I helped her positively reframe her thoughts and feelings to reflect her humility, high standards, and need for accountability. That helped her be more objective and realistic about her “shortcomings.”
So, instead of eliminating Emmy’s feelings of inadequacy, shame, and anxiety…
She decided how much of each feeling she wanted to keep. She used a “magic dial” to decide what percentage of shame or anxiety she would allow herself to feel each day.
Emmy didn’t need to get rid of these feelings because they said something about what was right about her – not what was wrong with her.
After we positively reframed Emmy’s negative feelings, we moved to agenda-setting to make sure we were working toward her treatment goals.
With a treatment plan in place, we started our methods…
I asked Emmy to write down some of her negative thoughts – things like, “I’m nothing compared to X” or “I’m a second-rate writer.”
To start, I had Emmy define the term “nothing.” Once Emmy had her definition, I asked her to examine whether she truly fit it. Quickly, she realized she didn’t. Out of that exercise, Emmy realized that the only way she could be nothing was to do nothing. Since she was actively pursuing her writing career, she knew she wasn’t “nothing.”
In another session, for homework, I had Emmy go around and ask her friends and family whether they thought she was mediocre. She returned the following week with great news! It turned out that her family and friends spoke highly of her writing and thought she would excel in the profession.
In the following session, I asked Emmy to challenge her negative thoughts by proving that the negative thought was false. I sat and pretended to be Emmy’s negative thoughts by telling her that her writing was “second-rate” and that she was “nothing” compared to, say, Ernest Hemmingway. Emmy was able to provide real-life evidence against all these self-defeating negative thoughts.
With these techniques and time…
Emmy finally realized what was behind her anxiety and overall dissatisfaction: her unrealistic belief that happiness only comes through career success.
She understood she didn’t have to be “outstanding” to experience love, praise, and admiration.
At the end of the session, I tested Emmy’s improvement by asking her percentages of anxiety, shame, and inadequacy. Emmy’s percentages for all her feelings went down to low ratings of 10%, 5%, and 2%!
Did Emmy never experience anxiety again?
Well… of course. As you know, the human experience is full of constant ups and downs.
The TEAM-CBT techniques she learned didn’t put her in a never-ending state of bliss, but they helped her master her anxiety.
It’s your turn!
Just like Emmy, you’ll have to work at it and practice the various techniques you will learn.
But you can master your anxiety!
Your success story can start today. Call me now for a free 15-minute consultation: (539) 233-3850.
*The name and story is a composite narrative and does not reflect an actual client.