Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Denver: A Tool for Transforming Negative Patterns
We all experience negative patterns throughout life, whether it’s in our thoughts or our actions. It might be an ongoing issue you’ve been dealing with, or it could be something that happens when you’re noticing more stress.
Regardless of the severity or type, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be the key to transforming negative patterns and breaking free.
If you’re looking for cognitive behavior therapy in Denver, I’m here for you. As a licensed trauma therapist, with care and support, we’ll work together to make sure you’re on the right journey toward more positive thinking, greater self-confidence, and overall emotional well-being. Take a look at my services to learn more.
But first, let’s dig into why CBT might be a great option for you.
What is CBT?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapy technique that focuses on the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It teaches you to become more aware of your thoughts so you can feel more in control of your mental health and feelings.
By doing so, CBT can also help you eliminate negative behaviors that are connected to negative emotions and feelings, such as coping mechanisms or destructive habits.
How CBT Helps Reframe Negative Thought Patterns
Cognitive behavior therapy can help you reframe negative thought patterns and break free in order to build healthier behaviors. In your CBT sessions, we’ll work on the following:
Becoming aware of negative thought patterns
The first step is noticing when you’re falling into a pattern of negative of thoughts, since it can often happen on autopilot. With CBT, you’ll learn to pause, identify, and even name the types of thoughts you’re having.
Challenge negative thoughts
By becoming more aware of your negative thoughts, you can start to challenge them. CBT will also teach you to think through where your thoughts are coming from in the first place, if there’s any evidence to back them, and how to think about them from a different, more balanced perspective.
Reframing negative thoughts
Lastly, reframing your negative thoughts is made possible once you’re able to challenge them and think about different perspectives. With time and practice, you’ll be able to stop yourself from repeating the pattern and move forward with more positive thoughts.
Who Can Benefit From CBT
CBT is especially helpful for anyone struggling with anxiety and depression as well as trauma survivors. Because these conditions can make us feel out of control over our thoughts and feelings, CBT helps you retrain your brain to process negative thoughts differently and gain more freedom over your mental health.
CBT is also beneficial for anyone seeking actionable strategies for change. After practicing CBT, you’ll come away with a toolkit of methods that you can continue to use to build a more positive frame of mind in the long term.
What a CBT Session Looks Like
When you’re ready to start your first CBT session, we’ll begin with goal setting. I’ll want to hear about the changes you want to make as well as the issues you’d like to work through.
From there, we’ll work on identifying cognitive distortions, such as catastrophizing, over-generalizing, or all-or-nothing thinking. Next, we’ll work through some practical exercises to actually work on pausing your negative thought patterns and reframing those types of thoughts.
Some examples of exercises might include mindfulness and grounding exercises, creating a thought diary, or recording positive events. Oftentimes, CBT sessions might come with a little homework so you can continue developing positive habits and associations even after the session is over.
How CBT Complements Other Therapies
Based on your experiences and goals, it can be beneficial to pair CBT with other types of therapies as well, such as:
EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a therapy technique that helps you process traumatic memories and regulate your emotions in relation to them. When paired with CBT, it can help you work through the root cause of negative patterns while reframing your mindset.
IFS: Internal Family Systems is a therapy technique that focuses on the different parts of yourself and aims to help you understand and integrate the parts more successfully. Especially for people experiencing trauma and negative thoughts, IFS and CBT enable you to develop a better understanding of yourself, where your thoughts stem from, and how to move forward from them.
Somatic Therapy: Oftentimes, negative thought patterns can create negative physical reactions as well. By pairing CBT with somatic therapy, you can become more aware of both your physical and mental state, enabling you to better identify signs of stress and develop healthy methods to self-soothe.
Why CBT in Denver Offers a Strong Foundation for Personal Growth and Emotional Wellness
If you’re looking for CBT in Denver, I’m here to help you work through negative patterns and create the right plan for growth.
Together, we’ll work to identify the root cause of your thoughts and feelings, process your emotions with care, and begin to transform your mindset through exercises that work best for you.
Regardless of what you’re currently experiencing or what you’ve been through, we’ll create the toolkit you need to move forward toward a healthier well-being. To get started, contact me today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gigi Woodall, LMFT
Eating Disorder & Trauma Therapist in Denver
Hi, I’m Gigi—a Denver-based trauma therapist passionate about helping people heal and reconnect with themselves. My work focuses on exploring how early experiences, relationships, and protective parts of the self shape our inner narratives. Through a compassionate and individualized approach, I help clients challenge limiting beliefs and step into a more authentic, intuitive way of living.
My background includes working with organizations like the National Eating Disorders Association, Project HEAL, and the One Love Foundation. I’ve also worked in eating disorder treatment centers and am actively involved with the Eating Disorder Foundation and IAEDP’s Denver chapter. Currently, I’m on the path to becoming a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS).
With specialized training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, and eating disorder treatment, I provide a safe, supportive space for those navigating recovery, trauma, and self-discovery.
Looking for support on your healing journey? Book a free consultation to see if we’re a good fit.