CBT Therapy Gold Coast

Practical, evidence-based support for anxiety, depression, and the thought patterns that keep you stuck

If your mind has been working overtime lately, running the same worries on a loop or pulling you toward the worst-case version of events, cognitive behavioural therapy is one approach that can help you understand those patterns and find different ways of responding to them.

At Coolangatta Psychology, we're an integrative team, which means we draw on a range of evidence-based approaches and shape them around the person in front of us rather than applying one model by default. CBT is one of the approaches we use, and it tends to work particularly well for things like OCD, panic disorder, or more straightforward anxiety. For anything deeper or more complex, we'll usually be drawing on other approaches too, often blended together, depending on what you need.

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What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?

CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, one of the most widely researched and internationally recognised approaches in modern psychology. It’s grounded in a fairly simple idea that the way we think, feel, and behave are all closely connected, with each one influencing and responding to the others. Two people can sit in the same traffic jam and have entirely different experiences of it, not because the traffic was different, but because the thought sitting underneath the moment was.

Over time, many of us develop thinking patterns that felt protective once but have become unhelpful, patterns like assuming the worst, taking things personally, or letting a single mistake prove we're not good enough. These patterns often run so automatically that we mistake them for facts rather than interpretations.

In session, your therapist will help you slow down, notice these patterns as they happen, and test them against the evidence. From there, you'll build more balanced ways of thinking, alongside practical behavioural strategies to support the change. It’s an active, hands-on kind of therapy, so you’ll often leave sessions with things to practise or pay attention to in everyday life, rather than simply talking things through.

That combination of insight and practice, testing thoughts against real evidence and trying new behaviours in low-stakes ways, is part of why CBT has such a strong evidence base, and why we use it as one part of a broader, integrative approach to therapy.

You don’t have to do this alone.

When you’re ready, we’re here to listen and help you find the support that fits.

0420 512 231

Make a booking enquiry

What can CBT help with?

CBT was originally developed for mental health conditions such as depression, but decades of research since have shown it's just as effective across a broad range of presentations, including:

Generalised anxiety and excessive worry
Panic attacks and panic disorder
Depression and low mood
Social anxiety and performance anxiety
Specific phobias
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Sleep difficulties and insomnia

Anger and irritability
Destructive behaviours
Low self-esteem and self-critical thinking
Health anxiety
Stress related to work, study, relationship difficulties, or major life transitions
Chronic pain management (alongside medical treatment)

Our team is also highly experienced in neurodiversity-affirming EMDR therapy, particularly for clients who have received a later diagnosis of autism, ADHD or other neurodivergent profiles. Many people in this situation carry a layer of accumulated trauma — not from a single past event, but from years of navigating a world not designed for their brain.

EMDR can be a deeply meaningful path to shifting long-held beliefs like "I'm not good enough" or "I'm too much," and supporting clients toward a more grounded and compassionate understanding of themselves. If you're unsure whether EMDR is right for you, reach out to our team, and we will take the time to explore how EMDR, or other avenues, work and connect you with the right clinician to support your needs.

Who tends to benefit most from CBT?

CBT resonates particularly well with people who like a bit of structure and enjoy having something concrete to work with between sessions. It tends to suit those who:

Want to gain insight on the "why" behind what's going on, not just the what

Are open to trying coping strategies and reflecting on how they land

Want practical tools they can keep using long after therapy ends

Are dealing with a fairly clear, identifiable pattern, such as a spiral of negative emotions or thoughts before a big event, a habit of catastrophising, or a cycle of avoidance that's been impacting their mental health

CBT isn't usually our approach of choice for complex or long-standing trauma. That kind of presentation generally calls for proper trauma-informed work, drawing on approaches like EMDR, Schema Therapy, or a blend of several modalities, rather than CBT with some extra support layered on top.

The same goes for more characterological presentations, such as personality disorders, where CBT tends to offer limited benefit and something like Schema Therapy is usually a better fit. Part of your initial assessment is working out which combination of approaches makes the most sense for you, so you're never fitted to a single model that isn't right for what you're going through.

We also work from a neurodiversity-affirming lens with autistic and ADHD adults navigating anxiety, burnout, or self-critical beliefs shaped by years of masking or feeling out of step with the world around them. Traditional therapy can sometimes lean heavily on assumptions about neurotypical thinking styles, so our clinicians adjust language, pacing, and the way tools like CBT are used (weaving it in alongside other approaches, rather than applying it as a standalone model) to fit how your brain works, rather than asking you to fit a standard mould.

What can CBT look like in therapy?

When CBT is part of the therapeutic work, it tends to follow a fairly structured, goal-focused shape, though the exact number of sessions depends entirely on what you're seeking support for. CBT is almost never the whole picture here; from the outset, it's combined with other approaches as part of our integrative model, and more layered or long-standing patterns can take longer to shift properly.

Assessment and goal setting

Your first session or two will focus on understanding your history, current personal challenges, and what you'd like therapy to help with. Together, you and your therapist will set clear, realistic goals to work toward.

Building a shared understanding

Your therapist will help map out the connections between your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and behaviours in relation to what's troubling you. This gives you both a clear picture of what's going on.

Learning and practising skills

Sessions introduce evidence-based practice tools such as thought records, behavioural experiments, exposure exercises, or problem-solving strategies, depending on what you're working on. You'll typically be asked to practise these between sessions.

Testing and adjusting

As you try new ways of thinking and responding in real life, you'll bring what you noticed back into session. Your therapist will help you refine the approach, troubleshoot anything that didn't quite land, and build on what worked.

Consolidation and relapse prevention

Toward the end of therapy, sessions shift toward reinforcing your progress and putting a plan in place for managing setbacks, because life will still throw things at you after therapy ends.

It's worth knowing that CBT involves homework, in the loosest sense of the word. You might be asked to keep a simple diary, try a new behaviour, or notice a pattern during the week. This isn't about adding pressure; it's simply where a good deal of the actual change tends to happen, in the space between sessions rather than only in the room.

Our CBT therapists

Therapy looks different for everyone. CBT is a foundational part of psychology training, and from there, each clinician builds experience across other therapeutic approaches, drawing on CBT where it’s useful. What happens in the room is shaped by the full range of approaches your therapist brings, rather than CBT being treated as a standalone service.

Dr. Adi Papirany

Adi is the founder and Director of Coolangatta Psychology and she has a particular focus on attachment-based EMDR with complex trauma, and is deeply interested in the significant overlap between trauma and undiagnosed or late-diagnosed neurodivergence. Adi's perspective is grounded in the understanding that simply existing in a world not designed for your brain or your needs can be inherently traumatic — and that healing is possible.

Clinical Psychologist

Lily Shilkin

Lily has completed EMDR training and is actively working towards becoming an EMDRAA-Accredited Practitioner, bringing a dedicated commitment to evidence-based trauma therapy.

Clinical Psychologist

Dr Mahala Martin

Clinical Psychologist

Mahala's broad clinical experience — across neurodivergence, trauma, anxiety, depression and complicated grief —supports her warm, holistic approach to psychological support and EMDR therapy.

Puva Kurusamy

Puva deeply believes in the importance of neurodiversity-affirming practice and offers specialised EMDR adapted for neurodivergent individuals, combining evidence-based methods with a genuinely inclusive approach.

Registered Psychologist

Sathya Maniam

Sathya's practice is rooted in evidence-based methods, including EMDR trauma therapy, to help clients reduce distress and reprocess painful experiences. Her approach centres on compassion and meeting each person where they are.

Clinical Psychologist

Rachel Anthony

Eleanor brings a unique blend of trauma-informed clinical mental health and performance psychology to her EMDR practice, using it to help clients not just overcome challenges but build genuine pathways to growth. Her EMDR work is attachment-focused, and neurodiversity affirming, grounded in authentic connection and adapted to how each individual's brain works best

Mental Health Social Worker

Dana

Our growing team also includes Dana (Psychologist).

Meet our team

Registered Psychologist

Rachel brings a holistic, trauma-informed approach to EMDR therapy. Drawing from both psychology and social work perspectives, she uses a compassion-focused and person-centered approach to supporting clients process difficult experiences and build a more supportive relationship with themselves.

Find the right therapeutic approach for you

If you’ve recognised yourself in some of the patterns we’ve talked about here, or you’re curious about whether CBT could be useful for what you’re experiencing, we’d love to hear from you.

Our psychologists work integratively, drawing on CBT and other therapeutic approaches depending on what you need. Appointments are available in person at our Gold Coast rooms and via telehealth across Australia for children, adolescents, and adults.

0420 512 231

Make a booking enquiry

Frequently Asked Questions

CBT is generally more structured and present-focused than approaches like traditional talk therapy or psychodynamic therapy. Rather than spending extended time exploring the past, CBT concentrates on the thoughts and behaviours maintaining your difficulties right now, and gives you practical tools to shift them. That said, understanding where certain patterns came from is still often part of the work; it's simply not the sole focus.
There isn’t a set number. CBT is often described as a shorter-term approach, particularly when someone is working on a clear, specific concern, but therapy doesn’t always fit neatly into a certain number of sessions. Your therapist will talk with you about what feels appropriate for what you’re working through and adjust the approach as things unfold.
Yes. CBT is one of the most extensively researched therapeutic approaches available, with a strong evidence base across depression, anxiety disorders, OCD, and a wide range of other presentations. Many treatment guidelines internationally list it as a first-line recommendation. At Coolangatta Psychology, we don’t expect one approach to suit everyone. CBT may form part of the work, alongside other therapies that better fit what you’re experiencing.
Yes, and for many people it works well as a complement rather than an alternative. If you're on medication prescribed by a GP or psychiatrist, your therapist can work alongside that treatment, and open communication between you, your therapist, and your prescriber helps keep everyone on the same page about how things are progressing.
That’s completely reasonable to raise with your therapist. CBT can be really useful for some people and in some situations, but it doesn’t have to be the whole approach. Our therapists work integratively, which means they can draw on CBT alongside other therapeutic approaches depending on what feels most helpful for you, your goals, and what you’re bringing into the room. The aim isn’t to fit you into a particular type of therapy, but to shape the work around you.
No, you can book directly with us. If you have a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP, you may be eligible for Medicare rebates on sessions with our registered psychologists. We also accept referrals from GPs, psychiatrists, and other specialists, and welcome NDIS clients.