I’m finding that more and more, people are asking for “CBT.” Doctors are telling people they need “CBT.” CBT (actually, its Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is an evidence-based approach to therapy and can be very effective. If you’ve been exploring options for CBT Therapy in Vaughan, then we might be a good fit.
At Health & Happiness: Counselling and Wellness (HHCW), we use CBT with many of our patients of all ages. This includes kids as young as 7, teens, adults, and seniors.
Ever wondered what CBT actually is? Well, that’s the purpose of this article!
What CBT Actually Helps You Do
CBT is built around a core idea:
Your beliefs → shape your thoughts → which influence your behaviours → which then impact your emotions.
If it seems that this is linear …. well, it isn’t. Often, our behaviours directly shape our thoughts. And emotions can determine and shape emotions. This can be seen in the “CBT Triangle:”
In therapy, we help you untangle these pieces so you can see your internal patterns more clearly. Once you see the pattern, you can start adjusting the beliefs, thoughts, and behaviours that no longer serve you.
Where people get stuck is believing emotions must be “fixed” or “eliminated.” They don’t. They can’t. And honestly — that’s not the goal.
Emotions don’t need to be justified. They need to be acknowledged.
This is where radical acceptance comes in. That’s the next section of the article.
Radical Acceptance
Radical acceptance means fully acknowledging and accepting the emotions you feel — even if you don’t like them, don’t understand them, or wish they were different.
It’s not approval.
It’s not resignation.
And it definitely isn’t “thinking positive.”
It’s simply recognizing: “This is how I feel right now. I may not love it, but it’s real.”
Let’s say that something happens and you wind up crying. Sobbing like a young child. And over something that you feel was not a big deal. If you crying, then … you’re crying. So that is a fact. Accepting facts, even when not pleasant, is important.
The other part is trying to turn judgements over emotions into statements. If an adult is crying like a child, often they will get mad at themselves. Maybe call themselves names like “crybaby.” (There are harsher ones that I can’t really write here!).
Let’s say the negativity from crying is a 6 out of 10. Just on its own. Adding name calling and negative labels moves the needle higher … maybe to a 7. An 8 or 9. Or more.
Instead, change the label to a statement. “I cried like a baby and don’t like it.” Or “I cried like a little child and don’t know why. I wish I didn’t.” These are statements … which are also probably factual. So the negativity stays at a 6.
When we stop fighting our emotions, we free up energy to work on the thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours that actually are changeable. And this can make us feel happier.
That’s when CBT becomes powerful.
How We Adapt CBT for Different Age Groups
One of the biggest misconceptions about CBT is that it’s a “one-size-fits-all” approach. That’s not how we practice it at HHCW.
We offer CBT therapy in Vaughan for:
- Children (ages 7–12)
- Teens and young adults
- Adults
- Seniors
The core model stays the same — beliefs, thoughts, behaviours, emotions — but how we communicate changes.
For Children (7–12)
Kids don’t talk about “core beliefs.” They show us how they feel through play, movement, stories, or hands-on activities.
We use age-appropriate language and fun activities that help them express themselves in ways that feel natural and safe.
Children are actually pretty smart and self-aware. So as long as we talk to them based on their age, CBT can help.
For Teens
Teens respond best to a mix of conversation, creative tools, and concrete strategies they can actually apply to school, friendships, and stress.
CBT helps them build insight without making them feel lectured or judged. This is because it is focused on their beliefs and thoughts, not those of their parents. Or teachers.
For Adults
The main difference between adults and younger people is brain development. For most people, brain development continues until their early to mid-20’s. Here’s an academic paper that suggests its actually 25.
Adults benefit from a deeper exploration of belief systems — where they came from and how they affect daily decisions.
We focus on practical changes, self-awareness, emotional acceptance, and realistic action steps.
For Seniors
Older adults often deal with transitions, grief, physical health issues, and shifts in identity. As we age, our bodies can deteriorate. So can our mental abilities. This is not to say that seniors are not intelligent – quite the opposite. We are just recognizing that elderly people are in a different stage than they were when younger.
CBT helps them make sense of thoughts that may have gone unquestioned for decades, while also honouring their life experience and resilience.
Our CBT Approach
Many CBT programs are process-focused. That means:
- Setting an agenda every session
- Planning out a series of steps in advance
- Using lots of worksheets and thought records
There’s nothing wrong with that — except when it gets in the way of what a patient actually needs in the moment.
The downside of CBT is that it can be too structured. Too process-driven. A patient might first agree that in session six they will discuss a certain topic. Because that is what the CBT manual says. Now week six arrives and they want to do something else.
If the therapist reminds them of what they planned, the patient might agree to follow the plan. The problem: the patient wanted to do something else.
At HHCW, we take a patient-focused approach, not a checklist-driven one.
We rarely plan a full series of sessions in advance
We do this intentionally, because pre-planned agendas can sometimes make a patient feel locked into a direction that no longer fits their life when they walk in that week.
Mental health is fluid. Kids have tough days. Teens hit emotional walls. Adults get blindsided at work. Seniors deal with sudden losses or health issues. A rigid plan doesn’t always honour real-life complexity.
When structure DOES make sense
There are times when a more regimented approach is genuinely helpful:
- When discussing week-to-week events isn’t producing change
- When someone has a limited number of sessions
- When short-term therapy is more appropriate
In these cases, we may use a more structured approach like Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT), which you can read more about here on our modalities page:
👉 Solution-Focused Therapy at HHCW
👉 Our blog on using structured short-term therapy
The key is matching the approach to the person — not the other way around.
When CBT Is a Good Fit
In our experience, CBT is especially helpful for:
- Anxiety and panic
- Depression
- Stress and burnout
- School-related stress (kids and teens)
- Health anxiety
- Negative thinking patterns
- Chronic worry
If you’re unsure whether CBT is right for you, don’t worry — the first session is all about understanding what you’re dealing with and choosing the right approach together.
Looking for CBT Therapy in Vaughan?
If you or your child are struggling with difficult thoughts, overwhelming emotions, or unhelpful patterns that feel impossible to break, CBT can help — and we will tailor it to your specific needs.
You can learn more, ask questions, or book a session with one of our therapists here: