Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in California
Most people have heard of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Fewer people understand what it actually looks like in practice or why it works so well for so many different presentations.
I'm Lauresha Hawkins - a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Rancho Cucamonga offering CBT therapy via telehealth to clients across California and Alaska.
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is based on a simple but powerful premise: your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all connected. When one changes, the others follow.
CBT helps you identify the automatic thought patterns that are driving your emotional responses and behavioral choices - often patterns you've had for so long you don't even notice them anymore. Once you can see them clearly, you can begin to challenge them, reframe them, and replace them with more accurate and helpful ways of thinking.
This isn't about forcing yourself to think positively. It's about learning to think accurately and acting from that place instead of from fear, shame, or old beliefs that no longer serve you.
What CBT Is Used For?
CBT has one of the strongest evidence bases of any therapeutic approach. Research supports its use for:
Depression and persistent low mood
Generalized anxiety and worry
Social anxiety and panic disorder
OCD and intrusive thoughts
PTSD and trauma responses
Mood disorders including bipolar disorder
Low self-esteem and negative self-talk
Behavioral patterns that feel impossible to break
In my practice, I use CBT-informed approaches alongside DBT, trauma-focused therapy, and motivational interviewing - always tailored to the person in front of me.
What CBT Sessions Actually Look Like
CBT is one of the more structured therapeutic approaches, which a lot of people find reassuring. There's a clear direction to the work.
In practice, sessions might involve reviewing a situation from the week that triggered a strong emotional response, identifying the thought that drove that response, examining the evidence for and against that thought, and building a more balanced perspective. You'll often leave with something practical - a skill to practice, a thought log to keep, a behavioral experiment to try.
The goal isn't just understanding. It's change you can feel in your daily life between sessions.
CBT Therapy in California via Telehealth
I offer CBT therapy via telehealth to clients across California and Alaska - available from wherever you are, on a schedule that works around your life.
Telehealth CBT is just as effective as in-person CBT for most presentations, and for many clients it removes the logistical barriers that make consistent attendance difficult. You don't need a waiting room to do good therapy. You need a good therapist and a quiet space.
If you're ready to understand the patterns that are keeping you stuck and start doing something about them - I'd love to connect.