---
title: "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) | McFadden Institute"
url: https://mcfaddeninstitute.com/approach/cbt
description: "What CBT is, how thoughts, feelings and behavior feed each other, and how Robert Cushing, LCSW, draws on CBT alongside RRT. Online in Florida."
lang: en
---

How RRT works

# Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy, usually called CBT, is one of the best-known forms of therapy there is. I'm trained in it, and I use parts of it. But it isn't the center of how I work, and I want to be clear about the difference.

Here's what CBT is, where I draw on it, and where Rapid Resolution Therapy is aimed at something else.

## The basic idea

CBT starts from a simple observation: thoughts, feelings and behavior feed each other. A thought (I'm going to embarrass myself) produces a feeling (dread), which drives a behavior (skipping the event), which reinforces the thought. Round and round.

CBT works on that loop. It helps you notice the thoughts that show up automatically, test whether they hold up, and try different behaviors that break the cycle.

## What standard CBT usually looks like

CBT is structured. Sessions often have an agenda. There's usually a set number of sessions focused on a specific goal. In its standard form, CBT often includes practice between sessions: thought records, worksheets, gradual exposure to things you've been avoiding.

It's also one of the most widely researched forms of therapy. That's a real point in its favor, and a big part of why it's so widely taught.

## How I draw on CBT

I use CBT where it fits alongside RRT. That might mean helping you notice a thought pattern that keeps pouring fuel on a spike of anxiety (https://mcfaddeninstitute.com/specialties/anxiety), or giving you a practical skill to get through a hard moment. Short, useful, in the flow of the conversation.

What I don't do is send you home with a stack of worksheets. The emphasis here stays on the work done in session. No worksheets, no homework stacks. If a small practice between sessions would help, I'll suggest one, and it'll be the kind you can remember without writing it down.

## Where CBT is especially handy

CBT tools are very good at interrupting anxious loops. Catching the what-if spiral early. Noticing when your mind jumps to the worst outcome. Spotting the safety behaviors that keep fear going. With panic attacks (https://mcfaddeninstitute.com/specialties/panic-attacks), for example, understanding how a small body sensation gets interpreted as danger can take some of the power out of the first flutter.

## Where RRT is aimed at something different

Some reactions don't respond to logic at all. You can know, fully, that you're safe, and your body still braces. You can dispute the thought perfectly and the feeling stays exactly where it was. That's often the case with reactions rooted in something that happened, where the charge sits below the level of reasoning.

That's what Rapid Resolution Therapy (https://mcfaddeninstitute.com/approach/rapid-resolution-therapy) targets: how the mind is holding the experience, rather than the thoughts on top of it. So in practice, RRT leads, and CBT comes in as a support where it's useful.

## Mindfulness alongside both

I'm also trained in mindfulness-based therapy (https://mcfaddeninstitute.com/approach/mindfulness-based-therapy), which shares some ground with CBT. Both involve noticing what's happening in your mind without automatically following it. Used together, they can make it easier to catch a pattern as it starts.

If you want to see how it all fits together in a real session, start with a free 15-minute consultation. You can ask as many questions as you like.

## CBT on its own versus CBT here

If you're looking for a standard, protocol-driven course of CBT, with weekly sessions, an agenda and regular between-session exercises, you'll want a clinician who offers that as their main approach. That can be an excellent choice, especially for people who like structure and enjoy practicing skills.

What you'll get with me is different. RRT does the heavy lifting in session, and CBT ideas come in when they're useful: a quick reframe, a way to spot an unhelpful thought, a practical step for a hard moment. It's a toolbox rather than a program.

Some people find that combination suits them. Others would rather have pure CBT. The free consultation is a good place to work out which describes you.

Either way, you won't be judged for what you've tried before, or for what you'd like to try next.

## Questions people ask

### Is CBT well researched?

Yes. CBT is one of the most widely researched forms of therapy, and it's used for a broad range of concerns.

### Will I get worksheets?

No homework stacks. I draw on CBT ideas in session, and if a small practice would help between sessions, I'll suggest something simple.

### Is CBT all you do?

No. Rapid Resolution Therapy comes first. I draw on CBT and mindfulness-based approaches where they fit.

Image: Palmetto fronds against a sunlit weathered stone wall. (https://mcfaddeninstitute.com/__l5e/assets-v1/3b384d21-08f4-40d8-9219-7c5cc731beb5/palmetto.jpg)

Curious whether this could fit for you?

Book a free consultation: https://mcfaddeninstitute.com/contact

Rapid Resolution Therapy is a therapeutic approach, not a guarantee of specific results and not a substitute for medical care. Every person's experience is different and individual outcomes vary.

Back to home: https://mcfaddeninstitute.com/

Free consultation · no pressure

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