The New York Times recently published an article that examines the difference between evidence-based CBT and what they call the “dim sum” approach, which is the eclectic approach many therapists use when they integrate strategies from a variety of different types of therapies. Here’s a quote from the article:

“CBT refers to a number of structured, directive types of psychotherapy that focus on the thoughts behind a patient’s feelings and that often include exposure therapy and other activities. Instead, many patients are subjected to a kind of dim-sum approach — a little of this, a little of that, much of it derived more from the therapist’s biases and training than from the latest research findings. And even professionals who claim to use evidence-based treatments rarely do.”

Read the full article here: Looking for Evidence that Therapy Works New York Times 3-25-13

So, how do you know if your therapist is really practicing evidence-based CBT? Here are some ways to know the difference:

• Is your therapist goal-oriented or does he/she focus on issues that seem unrelated to your problem(s)?
• Does your therapist track your mood and other relevant factors to see if you are improving?
• Does your therapist work with you to develop a cognitive-behavioral formulation of your problem(s)?
• Do you understand the factors that are maintaining your problem(s) and do you and your therapist have a treatment plan to impact those factors?
• Has your therapist read the treatment manuals for your particular problem?
• Does your therapist regularly assign homework and follow up on it?
• Is your therapist active and collaborative during the session or does he/she mainly listen?
• Does your therapist regularly use CBT techniques such as teaching you how to examine your thinking patterns and helping you engage in behavioral experiments and exposures?
• Is your therapist compassionate and attentive yet directive and solution-focused?

Your therapist may not do all of the above every time but you should be able to answer yes to the majority of the above questions most of the time.

About the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley

The mission of the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Silicon Valley is to offer evidence-based therapy for adults, children and teenagers with anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and eating disorders. The Center’s primary focus is on the evidence-based treatment of anxiety and related disorders because there are subtle differences in how each disorder should be treated. While many therapists work with anxiety disorders, the cognitive and behavioral approaches used at the CBT Center require extensive continuing education in the specific conceptualization for each person and evidence-based strategies for each disorder.

Laura Johnson, Center Director and Certified Cognitive Therapist, started the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center because there is a lack of therapists in the South Bay who are trained to deliver evidence-based cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety, OCD and eating disorders. Currently, we have several therapists at the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center. All therapists at the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center are employees of the Center and receive extensive training in CBT and other evidence-based therapies. This ensures that you will receive high quality CBT no matter which therapist you see at our Center.