[coolibrarian]

Is it possible (or even advisable) to do CBT on my own? My primary care doctor wants me to consider doing it, but my current T does not offer it. She recommended another therapist to me. I don't think my insurance will cover me seeing two therapists at once.

Thanks in advance.
--Cool

[SlumberKitty]

A quick google search shows that there are workbooks for CBT that I assume one could do on one's own. I'm not a huge fan of CBT personally but in small doses it's okay. If you want to try it, why don't you consider trying a workbook? It would be minimal cost to see if it is helpful for you. HUGS Kit

[coolibrarian]

Thanks, Kit.

[nottrustin]

I have done some of the workbooks before and found them beneficial. Do you think it would be Beneficial to do the workbooks and at least discuss some of what you're learning with T. I would recommend you check with your insurance company about seeing a second T. Some will cover two as long as you see then on different days.

[Lemoncake]

Some of these links might be helpful.

Online CBT-based psychoeducational courses by Therapy For You

Living Life to the Full | helping you help yourself

CBT Self Help Course Step 1

Mind Over Mood is the book i've seen in my library.

Yes!!!!

I’ve been doing it on my own for months.

The concepts aren’t difficult. I used it to get myself out of an awful collapse after therapy implosion. I used rigorous logic, thought-challenging and self-care to triage difficult emotions. Granted, I had no choice but to do it alone, but taking it on was a very empowering experience. It does require a lot of self-discipline.

[nottrustin]

Originally Posted by Lemoncake

Some of these links might be helpful.

Online CBT-based psychoeducational courses by Therapy For You

Living Life to the Full | helping you help yourself

CBT Self Help Course Step 1

Mind Over Mood is the book i've seen in my library.

I did mind over mood at Ts recommendation and found it helpful. EMDR T has it on her bookshelf.

[saidso]

Yes, my experience is that you can do anything on your own - providing that you have someone at your back. If you have a therapist who you trust, or people here on PC who can offer their experience of CBT why not . People learn from their other people in their environment as well as from "experts" all the time .

[Xynesthesia2]

Not traditional CBT but I used some concepts and techniques for impulse control mainly, when I was freshly sober and had frequent and intense urges to drink. Also a bit for anxiety. I never thought it would be worth paying a therapist to do it, I can analyze and structure my thought processes and feelings quite easily. The real challenge in the impulse control was not acting on them - merely understanding often was not enough. Anxiety is usually much easier for me also because I've had it in my whole life and learned to kinda automatically detach from it and not let it affect very much what I need to do. It never took away my generalized anxiety but have not had panic attacks, for example, for many years now. I do live a healthier lifestyle than in my youth and I am sure that contributes, but I think also that I recognize symptoms quite easily for what they are and do not let them snowball. As long as I don't use substances or engage in other addictive behaviors, I find it relatively easy to exercise cognitive control. What truly helps to ease the negative feelings though is usually not just knowing what they are, but the behavior modification, when I am able to act against the negative currents and do something productive. That can make most of my anxieties vanish very effectively, but I need to get to the changing behavior part, changing how I internally view things is rarely enough. It's kinda fun though because I enjoy overcoming blocks and trying new things and even just the challenge can feel quite rewarding.