CBT, the way it’s meant to be done.
One of the most-researched approaches for anxiety and depression — not because it’s a script, but because it gives you tools you can use long after therapy ends.
Thoughts, feelings, behaviour — tightly connected.
CBT is a structured, present-focused approach built on a simple insight: the way we interpret a situation drives how we feel about it and what we do next. When the interpretation is distorted — catastrophising a small setback, mind-reading a colleague’s silence, predicting the worst when you have no data — the feelings and behaviours that follow can keep us stuck.
CBT teaches you to notice those interpretations as they happen, test them against reality, and try out different responses. The behaviours change, and the feelings tend to follow.
Developed by psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck at the University of Pennsylvania in the early 1960s (Beck, 1979), CBT is now among the most extensively studied psychotherapies in the world, with evidence supporting its use for anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, panic, social phobia, insomnia, and chronic pain (Hofmann et al., 2012).
When CBT fits.
- Generalised anxiety
- Depression
- Panic & phobias
- Social anxiety
- OCD
- Insomnia
- Anger
- Stress & burnout
- Self-esteem
- Procrastination
- Health anxiety
CBT is one tool among several. Our therapists are also trained in DBT, ACT, EMDR, and others. We choose the approach that fits the person — not the protocol.
Active, structured, collaborative.
Early sessions map out what’s going on — the situations that trigger you, the thoughts that show up, the behaviours that follow, and what tends to come next. Often you’ll keep a brief log between sessions.
Middle sessions introduce skills: catching unhelpful thoughts, looking at the evidence for and against them, designing small behavioural experiments. Exposure work for anxieties and phobias, behavioural activation for depression.
Later sessions consolidate the skills into a relapse-prevention plan, so the work outlasts the therapy.
You’re an active participant throughout. CBT doesn’t happen to you — you do it, with your therapist as the scaffolding.
One of the most-studied therapies in the world.
CBT has been examined in hundreds of randomised controlled trials and summarised in scores of meta-analyses, with strong support across anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, bulimia, anger problems, and general stress (Hofmann et al., 2012).
CBT has robust efficacy across anxiety disorders compared with placebo (Carpenter et al., 2018), and is recommended as a first-line psychotherapy in Canadian (Katzman et al., 2014) and UK (NICE CG113) guidelines. For moderate-to-severe depression, network meta-analysis supports the combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication over either alone (Cuijpers et al., 2020).
It’s recommended as a first-line treatment for anxiety and depressive disorders by NICE in the UK (NICE, 2011; NICE, 2022), and as a first-line psychotherapy for anxiety disorders in Canadian guidance (Katzman et al., 2014; CAMH, n.d.).
FP therapists trained in CBT.
Browse and click into a bio. The free consult is a call to talk through fit, fees, and insurance.
“I understand that, at times, life can be challenging and difficult to manage. In those moments, it can be helpful to seek support — and discover healthy, adaptive ways of coping.”
“I see strength as an innate characteristic in all people.”
“Radical presence, radical compassion, radical acceptance, radical tenderness.”
“Seeking support from caring others is a brave first step in dealing with hardship.”
“Sometimes we need someone to talk to and listen to us without judgement.”
“Underscoring every strong therapeutic bond between client and therapist is trust, mutual respect, and understanding.”
“Your trust in me is a privilege, and I am here to support and guide you every step of the way.”
“I aim to create a caring space for you to feel seen, heard, and respected as we navigate your journey together.”
“I believe in the importance of authenticity, curiosity, and hope in our therapeutic relationship.”
“Taking the step to start therapy is an act of courage and self-care — and I'm here to support you.”
“Every story, identity, and experience deserves to be understood, honoured, and met with compassion.”
“The therapeutic alliance is the core of therapy — it takes courage to bring up the most vulnerable aspects of life.”
A few things people ask first.
How long does CBT usually take?
For a focused single concern, often 8–20 sessions. Complex or longstanding patterns are longer. Your therapist will talk openly about pacing — therapy that doesn’t end isn’t the goal.
Is CBT just about “positive thinking”?
No. CBT isn’t about replacing dark thoughts with cheerful ones — it’s about checking whether a given thought is accurate and useful, and finding more workable alternatives where it isn’t. Sometimes the original thought turns out to be true. CBT can hold that too.
Does CBT work for trauma?
Trauma-focused CBT and prolonged exposure are well-established treatments. For some clients, EMDR or somatic approaches are a better fit. We’ll talk through what’s likely to work best for you in the consult.
Will I have homework?
Usually some. Between-session practice is where most of the learning sticks. It’s never “assigned” punishment-style — you and your therapist decide what to try based on what would be most useful that week.
References
Beck, A. T. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. Guilford Press.
Carpenter, J. K., Andrews, L. A., Witcraft, S. M., Powers, M. B., Smits, J. A. J., & Hofmann, S. G. (2018). Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and related disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Depression and Anxiety, 35(6), 502–514. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22728
Cuijpers, P., Noma, H., Karyotaki, E., Vinkers, C. H., Cipriani, A., & Furukawa, T. A. (2020). A network meta-analysis of the effects of psychotherapies, pharmacotherapies and their combination in the treatment of adult depression. World Psychiatry, 19(1), 92–107. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20701
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). (n.d.). Anxiety: Psychotherapy. Retrieved from camh.ca
Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36(5), 427–440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-012-9476-1
Katzman, M. A., Bleau, P., Blier, P., Chokka, P., Kjernisted, K., & Van Ameringen, M. (2014). Canadian clinical practice guidelines for the management of anxiety, posttraumatic stress and obsessive-compulsive disorders. BMC Psychiatry, 14(Suppl 1), S1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-14-S1-S1
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). (2011, updated). Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management (CG113). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg113
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). (2022). Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222
Twenty minutes. On the phone. Free.
Tell us what’s going on and ask anything — insurance, format, fees, what a first session looks like. You’ll be on the call with one of our therapists, and we’ll go from there together. If we’re not the right practice for you, we’ll say so.