Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is one of the most extensively researched forms of psychotherapy in the world. It is practical, structured, and directly focused on changing the patterns of thinking and behaviour that keep people stuck — without requiring years of exploration before something shifts.
What Is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that helps people identify and change the thought patterns and behaviours that contribute to their difficulties. Developed by psychiatrist Aaron Beck in the 1960s, it is built on a straightforward premise: the way we think about a situation shapes how we feel about it — and how we behave in it.
CBT does not simply ask people to think more positively. It teaches a systematic way of examining whether your thoughts are accurate, helpful, and proportionate — and of building new patterns of response that are grounded in reality rather than anxiety, shame, or catastrophe. Over time these new patterns become habitual, producing lasting change in mood and functioning.
At Newmarket Therapy Centre and Aurora Village Therapy & Wellness Centre, CBT is used as a standalone approach and in combination with other modalities — including ACT, EFT, and DBT — depending on your needs.
The Four Phases of CBT
CBT at Newmarket Therapy Centre follows a structured but flexible process — each phase building on the last to create durable, meaningful change.
Identifying Negative Patterns
You and your therapist work together to identify the specific thought patterns — automatic thoughts, core beliefs, and assumptions — that are contributing to your difficulties. This is not about blame. It is about understanding.
Understanding the Connection
Together you explore the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, body sensations, and behaviours. Once this connection is clear, the patterns that once felt overwhelming begin to make sense — and to feel changeable.
Challenging & Reframing
Your therapist guides you in examining whether your thoughts are accurate and balanced. You practise generating alternative perspectives — not forced positivity, but genuinely more realistic and helpful ways of seeing yourself and your situation.
Building New Responses
Through in-session work and between-session practice, you build new, healthier patterns of thinking and behaving. These become increasingly automatic over time, producing lasting shifts in mood, confidence, and functioning.
Personalised Coping Tools
You leave therapy with a personalised toolkit of strategies that you can continue using independently — for managing stress, navigating difficult situations, and preventing relapse.
Review & Consolidation
Regular reviews ensure you always know where you are in the process and where you are headed. Progress is monitored and the approach adjusted as needed.
CBT does not ask you to pretend you feel fine. It asks you to look honestly at what you are telling yourself — and whether it is actually true.
Newmarket Therapy Centre & Aurora Village TherapyHow CBT Works at Newmarket Therapy Centre
CBT sessions are collaborative and goal-oriented. Your therapist will work with you to understand your specific patterns, set clear goals, and build practical skills you can use immediately.
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01
Assessment & goal setting
Your therapist takes time to understand your history, your current difficulties, and what you want to be different. Clear, measurable goals are set so you can track your progress.
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02
Identifying your thought patterns
Using structured techniques, you learn to catch the automatic thoughts that arise in difficult situations — often so fast they feel like facts rather than interpretations.
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03
Examining and testing thoughts
You explore whether your thoughts are accurate, whether they are helping you, and what a more balanced perspective might look like. This is done with curiosity, not criticism.
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04
Practising between sessions
CBT involves regular between-session practice — small exercises that help you apply what you are learning in real life. This is where the lasting change happens.
The Benefits of CBT
CBT has more supporting research than almost any other form of psychotherapy. Its benefits are consistent, measurable, and often experienced within a relatively short course of treatment.
- Reduced anxiety, worry, and panic
- Improved mood and relief from depression
- Better management of intrusive or obsessive thoughts
- Increased confidence and self-efficacy
- Practical, transferable coping skills
- Reduced avoidance behaviours
- Improved sleep and daily functioning
- Skills that continue working after therapy ends
- Evidence-based results recognised internationally
- Adaptable for individuals, couples, and adolescents
What CBT Is Used For
CBT is one of the most versatile psychological treatments available, with strong evidence for a wide range of presentations. It is available to clients in Newmarket and Aurora, and online across Ontario.
CBT at Newmarket Therapy Centre
Our registered therapists at Newmarket Therapy Centre and Aurora Village Therapy & Wellness Centre are trained in CBT and use it as part of an integrative, personalised approach to care. CBT is available for individuals, couples, and adolescents.
Sessions are available in person at our Queen Street Newmarket, Leslie Street Newmarket, and Aurora (Yonge Street) locations — or online for clients anywhere in Ontario. If you are unsure whether CBT is right for you, our Client Care Manager Susan will help you find the right fit.
Ready to Get Started?
Our intake team is here to answer your questions and match you with the right CBT-trained therapist in Newmarket or Aurora. No commitment required.
Call us: (289) 500-8039 · Aurora: (289) 272-0200