Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles

Self-esteem, the way we think about ourselves, is important. It affects what we do, how we feel, and how we think about ourselves in the world. What is self-esteem? It’s the thoughts we have about our own value. When we have confidence and pride, it’s a result of positive self-esteem. When we have self-doubt and self-criticism, it’s a result of negative self-esteem. Problems with self-esteem can result in a whole host of psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, lack of assertiveness, and relationship difficulties. Fortunately, there is a treatment that research has shown is the most effective for remedying low self-esteem. It is cognitive behavioral therapy.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is the cutting-edge treatment of choice for most psychological problems. It is designed to be brief, problem-focused, and active. Rather than focusing on early developmental history and relationships, cognitive behavioral therapy targets the problems that are occurring in the present. Cognitive behavioral therapy for low self-esteem may include a combination of the following treatments:

Cognitive restructuring: Cognitive restructuring is a combination of recognizing unhelpful thinking patterns and replacing them with more effective thinking patterns. Cognitive restructuring for low self-esteem often focuses on identifying negative thoughts about oneself and identifying distorted thinking, such as labeling oneself as a failure due to one skills deficit or negative event. 

Behavioral activation: When people have low self-esteem, they often avoid activities and situations that they fear they will not do well in. As a result, they have few opportunities for rewarding experiences and often become depressed. Behavioral activation reverses this cycle by helping people re-engage with life and thus have more rewarding experiences. 

Assertiveness training: People with poor self-esteem often have difficulty asking for what they want, saying no to requests, or making their true feelings known. Assertiveness training is a way of helping people learn to effectively and skillfully get what they want from others without sacrificing their relationships.

Problem-solving training: When people have had low self-esteem over a long period of time, they tend to feel helpless in many situations. Problem-solving training helps people find a sense of agency by teaching them to recognize problems, identify resources and potential solutions, and finally carry out effective plans. 

Social skills training: Low self-esteem is often intertwined with social skills deficits. Social skills training helps people increase positive and rewarding social behaviors and decrease negative social behavior, such as complaining. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles is a therapy practice of expert psychologists with the highest level of training and experience in providing evidence-based treatment for improving self-esteem. To ask a question or schedule a consultation to determine whether CBT is right for you, click the button below.