How to Treat General Anxiety Disorder With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Among various psychotherapeutic techniques used to treat general anxiety disorder, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a relatively popular strategy that can be effective either alone or in combination with medication and/or other approaches. CBT focuses on changing a patient's assumptions and cognitive interpretations of events in order to help the patient build an improved emotional state. It is used to treat a wide range of mood, anxiety and other disorders.

Things You'll Need

• Psychotherapist
• Journal

Show More

Instructions

Treat General Anxiety Disorder With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• 1

  Prepare for cognitive behavioral therapy by using a daily diary or journal to record the things that happen to you in your daily life and the feelings, thoughts and behavior that you associate with these events. Include obviously important events as well as events that seem important to you because of the way that they make you feel.

• 2

  Consider combining one-to-one cognitive behavioral therapy with a professional therapist with treatment through appropriate medication and a self-help or 12-step group.

• 3

  Discuss cognitive behavioral therapy for your general anxiety disorder with your physician and psychiatrist and ask your psychiatrist if he is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy. If not, ask him to suggest or give you a referral to a CBT professional.

• 4

  Use the website of the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists (NACBT) to search for certified CBT therapists in your area and to learn more about cognitive behavioral therapy (see Resources below).

• 5

  Work with your cognitive behavioral therapy professional to question and re-evaluate the thoughts and feelings that were inspired by these events with the goal of testing assumptions and interpretations that are not helpful.

• 6

  Make note of behaviors and activities of your own that you might have been able to avoid if you had interpreted underlying or triggering events and incidents in a more helpful way.

• 7

  Experiment with new ways of responding to other people and events, in consultation with your therapist, in order to locate comfortable behaviors, responses and activities for yourself.