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How it
ALL STARTED.

It wasn't until I was in graduate school that I learned that not everything I thought was true. It seems so obvious looking back, but at the time it completely changed how I viewed myself and my perspectives on others.

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Connecting thoughts to emotions and behaviors, and realizing that I did not have to believe everything I thought was enlightening. It was also comforting when I was sad or doubting myself.

 

But the real reason I have remained so passionate about cognitive behavior therapy and devoted all of my professional energy to it is because it WORKS. 

Over and over again, I see what the research tells us - CBT  can change your life. 

CUSTOMIZED for you

My favorite thing about CBT is that once you learn the principles, the possibilities are endless.

Life is complicated and CBT provides a practical, goal-oriented framework for making sense of it.

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At its heart, CBT is flexible and collaborative.

In therapy, we will take everything CBT, and other evidence-based practices, have to offer and personalize them to work for you.

Sunset in the Woods

About CAITLYN

caitlyn oscarson cbt therapist california
1 / Licensed Therapist 

I am a licensed marriage and family therapist, but most of my training and experience has been with CBT for anxiety and OCD. After my undergraduate degree in psychology I completed a Mater's in Clinical Psychology at SJSU, where the philosophy of compassionate evidence based treatment has stuck with me to this day. I  then collected 3000 hours of experience in community mental health, schools and private practice before passing two licensing exams in 2012.

2 / Certified Cognitive Therapist 

I learned CBT in my grad program but after licensure I knew I wanted more expertise. I joined a group practice specializing in OCD, attended trainings at the Beck Institute in Philadelphia, and practiced my skills.  In 2015 I became a Diplomate through the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. The Academy awards CBT certification to individuals who demonstrate expertise in the practice of CBT through case summaries and review of real taped therapy sessions. 

3 / OCD Specialist 

After having my first child in 2013 I had a whole new understanding for how anxiety and OCD can impact parenthood. Through multiple  trainings with Postpartum International  and the Beck Institute, I have built my knowledge base to use tools from CBT, ERP, and ACT  to manage this tricky time. 

4 / Specialized Pregnancy and Postpartum Support

One thing I did not learn in grad school was how to recognize and treat OCD. The International OCD Foundation's Behavior Therapy Training Institute  is one of the most in-demand OCD training programs in the country. I attended the BTTI is 2015 and the advanced BTTI in 2018, combining intensive in-person training with consultation with OCD experts. Attending the IOCDF's conferences and online trainings keeps me current on the most up to date treatment strategies for OCD.

5 / Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Wanting to improve my skills helping clients who want to stop pulling their hair or picking their skin, I attended the Trichotillomania Learning Center's behavioral therapy training program in 2017. This intensive training included in person instruction and  ongoing consultation from experts in the field. 

How I WORK

01

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a practical, goal-oriented therapy  to help you get out of your current patterns and build a more healthy, flexible and adaptable way of coping with life's ups and downs.

03

Inference-Based CBT

Inference-based CBT (I-CBT) is a cognitive approach to treating OCD. Instead of focusing on reducing compulsive behaviors, we will work to resolve the thinking process that causes OCD in the first place.

02

Exposure with Response Prevention

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is specific to treating OCD and involves exposing yourself to the situations, thoughts and activities that you have been avoiding.

04

SPACE Parent Focused Treatment

Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) is a parent-based treatment program for children and adolescents with anxiety and OCD.

Image by Mathilde Langevin

WHAT is COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY?

PRACTICAL: The core of CBT is learning to connect your thoughts, emotions and actions. Once you learn the formula you'll see that CBT is a tool you will apply to countless situations for the rest of your life.

COLLABORATIVE: You are the expert on you! We will work together to understand how your thoughts, emotions and behaviors are connected and how CBT can work for you.   

GOAL ORIENTED: In CBT we focus on the present - we need to understand the past but what we're most interested in is what you want your like to look like NOW and how to get you there.

SCIENTIFIC: CBT is one of those most heavily researched psychotherapies. The benefit of CBT is knowing that it is based in science and has worked for many around the world.

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Let's CONNECT

Getting started is the hardest part. Let's talk about how Cognitive Behavior Therapy can improve your outlook and coping skills and get you back to living your life.  

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