Cognitive Behavioral Therapy San Diego

Name: Inward Healing Therapy
Address: 5252 Balboa Ave. #801, San Diego, CA, 92117, US
Telephone: (408) 516-0363
Price range: $
Rating: 5

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in San Diego

Helping people overcome overthinking and feel more at peace. Online services are provided throughout California.

Are Your Thoughts and Behaviors Getting in the Way of Your Life?

If you often feel stuck in cycles of anxiety or depression, weighed down by negative thoughts, or caught in relationship patterns that come from anxious attachment or protest behaviors, you’re not alone. At Inward Healing Therapy, our experienced CBT therapists help high-achieving adults break free from old patterns and move toward a life of ease, clarity, and connection.

What is CBT and Why It Works

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a highly researched and effective therapeutic approach that focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It helps you understand how your perception of events shapes your emotions and actions.

In our CBT sessions, we combine trauma-informed care with practical tools. You’ll learn how to identify and shift harmful thinking patterns, regulate emotions, and build new habits that support long-term healing. CBT is one of the most effective approaches for managing anxiety and depression, improving daily functioning, and building emotional resilience.

Living with Negative Thoughts

Living with negative thoughts can feel like being trapped in your own mind. On the outside, you might appear confident, capable, and composed, but inside, there’s a constant stream of self-doubt and worry that never seems to quiet down.

You might find yourself:

Overthinking everything, replaying conversations, or wondering if you said or did something wrong.
Struggling to turn off your mind at night, as your brain revisits past mistakes or imagines worst-case scenarios.
Comparing yourself to others, feeling like everyone else has it figured out while you’re just trying to keep up.
Downplaying your accomplishments, brushing off praise because you don’t fully believe you deserve it.
Feeling emotionally drained from trying to manage your anxiety, please others, or keep your life “under control.”
Reacting in relationships through protest behaviors or withdrawal when you fear being misunderstood, rejected, or abandoned.

These thoughts can be subconscious, but powerful whispering messages like “You’re not enough,” “You’re too much,” or “You’ll never get it right.” Over time, they shape how you see yourself, your relationships, and what you believe you’re capable of.

At Inward Healing Therapy, we know that these patterns didn’t appear out of nowhere. They often develop from years of being overly responsible, striving to meet high expectations, or learning that love and approval must be earned.

CBT helps you step back from these thoughts, understand where they come from, and begin to separate your identity from your inner critic. With practice, you can replace harsh self-talk with self-compassion and learn to navigate life’s challenges from a place of confidence and calm rather than fear and self-doubt.

When CBT is a Good Fit

Our CBT therapists can support you if you:

Struggle with anxiety, including excessive worry, restlessness, intrusive “what if” thoughts, such as “What if this happens…” or overthinking.
Experience depression, such as low motivation, self-criticism, difficulty finding pleasure, or hopelessness.
Have anxious attachment, where you fear abandonment, seek constant reassurance, or struggle with feeling secure in relationships.
Notice recurring negative thoughts, like “I’m not enough,” “They’re going to leave me,” or “I always mess things up.”
Engage in protest behaviors, such as clinging, withdrawing, or trying to regain connection through arguments or threats.

If these patterns sound familiar and you’re ready to find new ways of responding, CBT can help you feel more grounded and empowered.

CBT for Anxiety, Depression, and Anxious Attachment

At Inward Healing Therapy, we recognize that anxiety, depression, and attachment wounds are often connected. You may have learned from an early age to overthink, overperform, or people-please to feel safe. Over time, these coping mechanisms can create self-doubt, exhaustion, and relationship distress.

Our CBT approach helps you slow down these automatic responses and connect with your core beliefs. When you identify where your anxious thoughts come from, you can respond to them with curiosity instead of judgment. This allows space for new ways of relating to yourself and others.

Our CBT Process: From Insight to Change

Awareness & Reflection

We start by noticing your automatic thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Guided exercises, journaling, and reflection help you see how these patterns show up in your daily life.

Identifying Unhelpful Thoughts

We begin by noticing the automatic thoughts and beliefs that drive emotional distress. Through guided exercises, journaling, and reflection, you’ll start to see how these patterns show up in your daily life.

Goal Setting and Skill Building

Together, we’ll create clear and realistic goals that align with what you truly want to feel, like less anxiety, more joy, healthier relationships, and greater self-compassion.

Cognitive Restructuring

You’ll learn how to challenge distorted beliefs, such as “If I’m not perfect, I’ll be rejected,” and replace them with more balanced, compassionate thoughts that support growth and emotional safety.

Behavioral Activation and Experimentation

We’ll practice new behaviors that help you build confidence and connection. This might include boundary setting, mindfulness, or trying out new communication patterns.

Maintenance and Relapse Prevention

As you make progress, we’ll focus on helping you maintain long-term change. You’ll leave therapy with practical tools to navigate future challenges with confidence and self-awareness.

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting the past; it means learning that you no longer have to live in it.

Understanding Protest Behaviors Through CBT

Many clients with anxious attachment experience what are known as protest behaviors—ways we try to reconnect when we feel rejected, unseen, or abandoned. These can look like repeated texting, emotional outbursts, or withdrawing to “test” if someone cares. While these actions come from a place of fear and longing, they often push others away.

CBT helps you become aware of these reactions and teaches you how to pause, name the emotion underneath, and choose a more secure response. You’ll learn to express needs clearly instead of through protest, helping you create healthier and more stable relationships.

Why Work with Inward Healing Therapy’s CBT Therapists

Our clinicians are trained in CBT, trauma-informed care, and attachment-based approaches. You’ll receive both practical strategies and emotional depth.
We specialize in working with high-achieving adults who want to heal old patterns and feel more secure in their sense of self.
We offer convenient online therapy across California so you can focus on your healing from wherever you are.
Our approach honors the connection between your mind and your inner child, helping you rewrite your internal story and feel “good enough” from within.

Getting Started

If you’re ready to work through anxiety, depression, negative thoughts, or protest behaviors with a compassionate CBT therapist, we’re here to help. Schedule a free 20-minute consultation to see if CBT is the right fit for you.

Healing begins when you choose to look inward. Let’s take that first step together.