Healing the Mind in Concord, MA: How Forrest BH Used CBT to Help Alice Reclaim Her Life
When Alice, a 34-year-old marketing coordinator from Concord, MA, walked into Forrest BH, she wasn’t sure what to expect.
For months, she had felt trapped in a cycle of constant worry and deep sadness. Small tasks like checking emails, grocery shopping, and returning a friend’s text felt like heavy weights she could barely lift.
She described it as living in self-doubt and dread.
After an initial evaluation, our licensed therapist at Forrest BH diagnosed Alice with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Rather than turning to a single quick fix, the team at Forrest BH chose to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a proven, structured approach to help Alice recover.
Step 1: Understanding Alice’s Thought Patterns
During the first few sessions, the therapist helped Alice identify what we call automatic thoughts in CBT: those immediate, often negative thoughts that appear subconsciously.
For Alice, these thoughts appeared everywhere:
- “I’m probably going to mess this up.”
- “They only tolerate me because they have to.”
- “Nothing I do makes a difference.”
The doctor then introduced a thought diary, a simple but powerful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tool used frequently at Forrest BH. Alice was asked to jot down her thoughts whenever she felt anxious or low.
At first, she resisted. Writing about pain felt uncomfortable, but soon she began noticing patterns. Her therapist guided her to connect these thoughts with the feelings (sadness, guilt, worry) and behaviors (avoidance, isolation, procrastination) that followed.
Step 2: Challenging Cognitive Distortions
Once Alice could see her thoughts more clearly, the therapist helped her recognize cognitive distortions: mental filters that twist how we see ourselves and the world.
Together, they discovered 3 distortions at play:
- All-or-Nothing Thinking:
“If I’m not perfect, I’m a failure.” - Catastrophizing:
“If I make one mistake, my boss will fire me.” - Mind Reading:
“Everyone at work can tell I’m falling apart.”
Using a worksheet called “Evidence for and Against”, Alice learned to pause and examine her thoughts. For instance, when she felt like she had ruined everything after missing a deadline, she was encouraged to ask:
- What evidence supports that belief?
- What evidence doesn’t?
- What would I say to a friend who felt this way?
This exercise helped Alice see that her thoughts were not facts; they were interpretations.
Over time, these CBT practices rewired her default thought loops and supported calm reasoning instead of self-blame.
Step 3: Tackling Behavioral Avoidance
Like many people with depression and anxiety, Alice had started avoiding work projects, phone calls, and even simple outings. It gave her short-term relief but long-term pain.
So, the doctor introduced Behavioral Activation, a CBT method Forrest BH often uses to counter low motivation and fear-based avoidance. Together, they created a task list, starting small and realistic:
- Take a short walk before work.
- Answer one email instead of 10.
- Meet a friend for coffee for just 20 minutes.
With each small win, Alice noticed her mornings felt lighter and her evenings more fulfilling.
Step 4: Learning to Manage Worry Loops
Alice struggled with anxiety, overthinking, and worrying about worst-case scenarios that never happened. To manage this, her doctor introduced Worry Time, a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy technique where Alice scheduled 15 minutes each evening just for worrying.
If anxious thoughts popped up during the day, she’d note them down and tell herself, “I’ll deal with that during worry time.”
Alongside this, we also incorporated mindfulness-based CBT, short grounding exercises that taught Alice to notice thoughts without reacting to them.
Step 5: Exposure and Reframing
As therapy progressed, Alice and her therapist identified specific anxiety triggers, such as public speaking and performance evaluations at work.
We use a gradual exposure approach, helping clients face fears safely rather than avoiding them altogether.
They built a step-by-step exposure plan:
- Practice short presentations at home.
- Share one idea during team meetings.
- Deliver a small presentation to a friendly audience.
A reflection followed each step: What did I expect would happen? What actually happened?
Step 6: Building Relapse Prevention Skills
After 12 weeks, Alice’s mood had improved significantly. Her sleep improved, her concentration returned, and she no longer felt the constant dread.
The final phase of our treatment at Forrest BH focused on relapse prevention, equipping Alice with lifelong tools. She created a CBT Maintenance Plan that included:
- A list of early warning signs (fatigue, irritability, loss of interest).
- Coping strategies (journaling, mindfulness, reaching out to friends).
- A self-check plan every Sunday to monitor mood and thoughts.
The goal wasn’t to eliminate every negative thought, but to recognize them faster and respond with awareness.
A New Chapter
Three months later, Alice felt her life had become lighter. She still had anxious moments, but they no longer controlled her. She had learned how to catch spirals before they took over.
“I used to think my thoughts were who I was,” she told us during her final session. “Now I know they’re just thoughts, and I get to choose which ones to believe.”
How Forrest BH Makes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Personal
At Forrest BH in Concord, MA, Alice’s story is one of many. What makes their approach unique is the combination of evidence-based CBT with personalization. Every client receives a structured yet flexible plan tailored to their pace, personality, and history.
Our therapists focus on working together with clients. Clients actively participate in their treatment instead of just receiving it. Whether dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, or stress, the goal is the same: to help people understand, question, and change the thoughts that affect their lives.
If you or someone you know in Concord, MA feels trapped in patterns of worry, sadness, or self-doubt, Forrest BH is here to help. Our team of licensed therapists specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, guiding individuals toward lasting, realistic change, one thought at a time.
Visit Forrest BH now to learn how CBT can help you rewrite your story!
