I am a clinical psychologist who has been practicing for more than twenty-five years.  I provide two kinds of psychotherapy:  cognitive-behavioral therapy and schema therapy.  

Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on helping you learn new skills and build on your strengths.  For example, you might come to see me because you are too anxious or depressed to find a healthy love relationship or to reach your potential at work.  I might ask you to observe your physical sensations, thoughts, and behaviors whenever you become anxious or depressed.  Shifting into an "observer mode" in this way  is an aspect of mindfulness that promotes understanding and compassion, the ideal conditions for change.  I will help you learn skills to control your physical symptoms, challenge your negative thoughts and think more realistically, and behave in more constructive ways.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been shown to help many types of problems.  It is appropriate for adults,  children, and couples.  Scientific research has demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral therapy is an effective treatment for:

• Depression

• Anxiety problems such as panic attacks, chronic worry, post-traumatic stress, obsessive thinking, compulsive behavior, social anxiety, and phobias

• Eating disorders

• Sexual problems

• Physical problems related to stress, such as headaches, hypertension, or gastrointestinal problems

• Insomnia

• Self-control problems such as impulsiveness and procrastination

• Lack of social skills or assertiveness

• Relationship problems in individuals, couples, and families

In cognitive-behavioral therapy, the therapist is active and directive.  Patients learn to "self-monitor;" that is, they learn to observe their problematic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as they occur in their day-to-day lives.  Patients practice correcting their irrational thoughts, managing their negative feelings, and changing their self-defeating behaviors in "homework assignments" between sessions.  Where relevant, they learn such skills as assertiveness, mindfulness, relaxation, anxiety and anger management, listening to others, communicating effectively, problem-solving, goal-setting, and structuring one's time.

The overwhelming majority of patients who undergo cognitive-behavioral therapy find it helpful.  Although it is difficult to predict the length of treament since it depends on many factors, symptom-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy typically takes between six months and a year of weekly sessions.  Problems that are more pervasive and chronic, such as lifelong difficulties in intimate relationships or at work, take longer to resolve.

Schema therapy addresses lifelong difficulties in relationships and work.  Negative schemas are patterns that start in childhood and repeat throughout life.   They are deeply entrenched beliefs about the self and others that strongly influence how we interpret the world.  

        For example, you might have had a parent who abandoned you when you were a child.  Perhaps your mother and father divorced, and one of them disappeared from your life.  You developed an "Abandonment schema."  As an adult you are drawn to partners who abandon you, or whom you abandon.  A dark theme from your childhood recurs in your adult life.

Here are some examples of negative schemas:

• Mistrust

• Abandonment

• Emotional Deprivation

• Defectiveness

• Social Isolation

• Subjugation

• Self-Sacrifice

• Dependence

• Enmeshment

• Failure

• Entitlement

• Insufficient Self-Control

• Emotional Inhibition

Schema therapy helps patients overcome their negative schemas.  Treatment focuses on all the facets of your schemas:  thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, behaviors, and relationships.

Dr. Klosko is a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and a Certified Schema Therapist.   She has published widely in the field, including both self-help and academic books and research articles in scientific peer-reviewed journals.