A practical and collaborative approach to meaningful change
The way you interpret a situation can influence how you feel and what you do next. When familiar patterns of thinking and behavior keep reinforcing anxiety, low mood, avoidance, or relationship difficulties, it can be hard to respond differently without support.
Dr. Irwin Rosenfarb provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for adults seeking a structured and practical way to understand what is keeping them stuck. CBT can help you examine connections among your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors while developing skills you can use in everyday life.
Treatment is collaborative and adapted to your needs. The purpose is not to label every difficult thought as wrong or force yourself to think positively. It is to develop a more complete understanding of your experiences and respond in ways that better reflect your needs and goals.
How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Works
People experience situations through the lens of their beliefs, assumptions, and previous experiences. Two people can encounter a similar event and respond very differently because of what the event means to them.
For example, after making a mistake at work, you might think, “I always fail.” That thought may lead to shame, anxiety, or discouragement. You may withdraw, avoid another challenge, or become overly focused on preventing future mistakes. Someone else may see the same event as a setback they can learn from.
CBT helps slow this process down. You can learn to notice automatic thoughts, consider the available evidence, and explore whether your initial interpretation tells the whole story. You can then develop a response that is more balanced and useful.
Changing Thoughts and Behaviors
Thoughts and behaviors often reinforce one another. If you believe you cannot handle a difficult situation, you may avoid it. Avoidance can bring short-term relief, but it also prevents you from discovering what you can manage. Over time, the situation may feel even more intimidating.
Behavior can affect mood as well. When someone feels depressed, they may stop participating in activities that once provided connection, enjoyment, or accomplishment. Losing those experiences can deepen withdrawal and low mood.
In CBT therapy, Dr. Rosenfarb helps clients identify these cycles and consider manageable changes. This may involve approaching an avoided situation gradually, returning to a meaningful activity, practicing a new communication skill, or testing whether a familiar prediction is accurate.
Small and consistent changes can create new experiences that gradually weaken old patterns.
Recognizing Unhelpful Thinking Patterns
Automatic thoughts can happen so quickly that they feel like facts. Common patterns include expecting the worst outcome, viewing situations in all-or-nothing terms, assuming you know what another person thinks, or allowing one experience to define how you see yourself.
CBT may help you ask:
- What evidence supports this thought?
- Is there information I may be overlooking?
- Am I making assumptions about another person’s intentions?
- Am I treating one experience as proof of a larger conclusion?
- Is there another way to understand this situation?
- What would I say to someone I care about in the same position?
The goal is not to eliminate every negative thought. It is to become more aware of your thinking and more flexible in how you respond.
What Can CBT Help With?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be adapted to many different concerns. Dr. Rosenfarb may use CBT to help with:
- Anxiety, excessive worry, and avoidance
- Depression and loss of motivation
- Low self-esteem and self-critical thinking
- Difficulty coping with stress
- Relationship and communication problems
- Problem-solving and decision-making
- Emotional and behavioral patterns that interfere with daily life
CBT may also be one part of comprehensive treatment for bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, psychosis, or schizophrenia. Treatment for these conditions should reflect each person’s symptoms and may involve family support, psychiatric care, medication, or other services.
Learn more about Dr. Rosenfarb’s approaches to anxiety and depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and psychosis and schizophrenia.
What to Expect From CBT
CBT is often described as structured, but that does not mean therapy follows the same formula for everyone. Dr. Rosenfarb works with each client to understand their concerns, establish meaningful goals, and identify the patterns most relevant to their life.
Sessions may involve discussing recent situations, examining thoughts and emotional reactions, practicing problem-solving, or planning changes to try outside therapy. The exact process depends on your needs and progress.
A positive therapeutic relationship remains essential. CBT should provide enough structure to help you move toward your goals while creating space to discuss difficult experiences openly and without judgment.
An Experienced CBT Therapist in San Diego and across California
Dr. Rosenfarb is a licensed psychologist with more than 40 years of experience. He is also the former Director of the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Alliant University, San Diego, and is currently Professor Emeritus in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at CSPP/Alliant University. He has served as principal investigator on an NIMH research grant and has authored more than 100 publications and presentations.
His work is grounded in empirically supported psychotherapy and delivered within a compassionate, respectful, and collaborative relationship. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all plan, he adapts treatment to each client’s concerns, strengths, circumstances, and goals.
Dr. Rosenfarb also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and family-focused approaches when appropriate.
CBT in Scripps Ranch, Sorrento Valley, and across California
Dr. Rosenfarb provides CBT at offices in Scripps Ranch and Sorrento Valley, serving adults from throughout San Diego. He also provides CBT online throughout California.
If you are looking for a CBT therapist in San Diego or California, contact Dr. Rosenfarb to schedule an introductory phone conversation and discuss whether Cognitive Behavioral Therapy may be appropriate for your concerns.