The CBT Baltimore Blog

Help Relieve your Child from Anxiety Description:  Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) is a parent-based treatment protocol aimed at helping children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, OCD, and related issues....

As vaccination rates increase, infection rates slow, and safety restrictions loosen, a post-pandemic return to ‘normal’ is on the horizon. The thought of returning to school, the workplace, and social gatherings can be exciting—and anxiety-provoking....

Life has a way at throwing twists and turns our way at times. Over time, these everyday struggles and lifechanging events can start to pile up. While they can create a lot of stress and uncertainty in our lives, they don’t have to control us....

In the United States, our situation with the pandemic is greatly improved when you consider we were still in the thick of the shutdown just one year ago. At this point, reopening is taking place, school is out for the summer and all is perfect in the world! Okay, not exactly....

Intelligence is a metric that humanity has valued since ancient times. It's why we still look back on the works of thinkers like Pythagoras, Socrates and Plato to this day....

Social skills are the skills we implement to verbally and non-verbally interact with those around us. Problem-solving, communicating, decision making and self-management are all factors that contribute to one's social skills....

In the spirit of the cicada arrival, we offered three hypotheses in our last blog post about how our aversion to bugs developed over time....

It's spring 2021, which means one key thing: Brood X cicadas are coming back! That's right, it's already been 17 years since their last visit in 2004. It's been a busy start to the year, so we wouldn't blame you if their upcoming visit slipped your mind....

Technology-based anxiety treatment resources are more prevalent than ever. Is this a legitimate way to receive treatment? Absolutely! However, there are pros and cons to choosing online-based treatment over in-person treatment....

A brief look into mental health statistics will suggest that anxiety is more prevalent now than it has ever been. You can find studies all over the internet that report an increase in anxiety and depression-related disorders over the last century....

We’re fortunate to be alive in this day and age for many reasons. For example, thanks to modern medicine and psychology developments, we now have access to a plethora of safe treatment options for a wide array of mental health disorders....

Ambivalence isn’t necessarily a bad thing! In fact, it’s completely normal. When we witness any change, it’s only reasonable to assume that we may be subject to conflicted feelings at first. This is also true when it comes to taking medications....

Resilience, or the capacity to quickly recover from life’s challenges, is a valuable trait that can help us navigate through times of stress and uncertainty. But how can we develop our own resilience? Sometimes it’s worth looking back in time for the answers to life’s difficult questions....

There are four main communication styles that we use in our daily lives: passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive and assertive. With exception to passive-aggressive communication, each method has its own pros and cons that we should consider to ensure we communicate effectively and appropriately....

The holidays are a lovely time of year, but they can start to feel chaotic at times. Luckily, there are several things we can do to reduce our stress levels and create a sense of peace amidst all the madness....

While the holidays are an exciting time for many, they can also be quite stressful. Luckily, a thoughtful diet can boost our minds and our bodies during any time of year....

We could all use a little bit of a break right now, but what if you could feel a sense of peace and calm at least once every day? Even if you know why practices like meditation are good for you, it can be hard to know where to start....

If you’re like millions of Americans, the transition from Thanksgiving to the holiday season means one thing—gift giving! While giving gifts can be very fun (and they are always nice to receive), paying it forward can give you surprising tangible and intangible benefits....

If you’re like many other people in 2020, you’re feeling a little stressed. Between a historic presidential election, a global pandemic and all of the changes to the world around us, it’s hard to maintain good mental health....

COVID-19 has changed many things about our lives, and as we prepare to enter the holiday season, many people are reflecting on the value of family traditions. Even in stressful and trying times, our traditions, rituals and shared beliefs can still unite us....

Now that Labor Day has passed, common fashion advice says that white should stay at the back of your closet until Memorial Day and summer roll around again....

Labor Day serves as a reminder of the workers who have come before us and worked for better conditions on the job and a better work week....

If you are like millions of other Americans, you have been experiencing strange dreams during the pandemic and turbulence of 2020. You also might be wondering what your dreams mean....

Sleep might not seem like an important part of our lives, but it is critical to both our physical and mental health. Practicing good sleep hygiene means having good habits that make sure you get a great night of rest and feel energized and awake during the day....

  Our director, Shmuel, is fortunate to be involved with this local organization.  Chai-Lifeline Mid-Atlantic is a wonderful organization that services children and their families who struggle with serious and chronic medical illnesses....

  Are you losing your hearing? No, not the ability to hear sounds with your ears, but the ability to be able to truly hear what someone else is saying....

  2020 has been synonymous with anxiety, stress and depression for many people....

Summer is here, and many kids and teens are headed to sleepaway summer camp to make new friends, enjoy time in the great outdoors and learn new skills....

Every parent wants to help their child or teen build independence, but that can be easier said than done. With so many unknowns in the world today, some parents struggle to let their children grow their confidence and do things on their own....

From saying good morning to the barista at your favorite coffee shop to chatting with your best friend over a cocktail after work, socialization is a part of who we are. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed countless things about how we live our lives, and one of the biggest things is how we socialize....

In 2007, over 1.5 million children were taught at home instead of boarding the school bus to head back to school. That small fraction of children in the United States used to be much higher decades ago, when public schooling was less common or entirely nonexistent....

COVID-19 has changed all of our lives already, whether you are working from home every day, currently unemployed or leaving the house for an essential job every morning. While the degree of change will differ from person to person, nobody is currently living their “normal life....

We are all experiencing a far-reaching pandemic for the first time in many of our lives. As a result, it’s hard for many of us to see a path forward and understand the potential ramifications of what we are going through....

  Can Freedom Be Defined?     In a week’s time millions of Jewish people, devout and otherwise, will be celebrated the holiday of Passover around the globe....

We rely on the media around us, from social media to newspapers, to get accurate information on potential problems facing us. Whether these problems are conflicts with other countries or viruses like COVID-19, it can be difficult to balance preparedness and panic....

Episode 3: Procrastination     Let's admit it.... we all procrastinate.  There are countless things we dodge, dance, and wiggle out of.  For better or worse....

Did you see that article? What about that tweet? What about that Facebook post? Did you check your email this morning? Today, it feels like politics are an inescapable part of daily life....

Did you know that, in the 2010 Census, a whopping 4....

A 2017 poll found that the number of Americans identifying as religious decreased over the course of the five years preceding it....

Every year, millions of Americans set new year’s resolutions in the hopes that this will be the year they finally reach their goals, make new friends, complete a pottery class or read 100 books. However, studies show us that most of those resolutions are abandoned by January 12th....

In the aftermath of the holiday season and with the start of a new year, there’s a good chance that your social media feeds are full of people “humble bragging....

Is laughter really the best medicine? While humor might seem counterintuitive when used in the same sentence as “mental health,” it can be a powerful tool for those looking to improve their mental health....

This is the time of the year when we have to ask ourselves a critical question—to gift or not to gift? From the motives behind gift giving to the pressures that can lead us to overspend to impress, there are many complex forces that govern whether or not we buy a gift for someone in our lives....

Where do you live? While you might not think about the four seasons as having a dramatic effect on who you are, plenty of research indicates that the seasons can affect our mental health....

Do you love dining after dark? Do you thrive during Daylight Savings Time or wish that you never got that “extra” hour of sleep? While few people complain about getting to sleep in a little extra one day a year, they often change their tune when they notice the sun setting closer to 5 PM than 8...

How would you react if you heard that 8 in 10 adults over the age of 30 have anxiety? There’s a good chance that, unless that 80% figure radically challenged what you’ve experienced, you would blindly accept it as fact....

Get 25 free Now You Know cards Our own Shmuel Fischler had the opportunity to join Tom Rodgers and Fox 45 to discuss the Now You Know Cards and the numerous applications they have.  Interest is growing in our movement to create meaningful conversation for mental health.  

A few years ago I had the opportunity to meet Stuart Ralph, the man behind The OCD Stories, when he was honored at the annual IOCDF conference....

At times it can feel like we have too much noise going on in our heads.  Thoughts that we don't want and try our best to push away.  The good news is that we have more power than we think we do....

  Myopia is not some unfamiliar rare condition When was the last time you looked around and took note of how many people are wearing glasses? If you yourself don’t wear glasses, I am sure you know someone who does....

  CBT Baltimore continues to grow! About CBT Baltimore: We are a private practice of dedicated and compassionate professionals providing specialized psychotherapy in our outpatient office....

Social Phobia, otherwise referred to as Social Anxiety, is a struggle that millions (about 15 million in the U.S.!) grapple with every day.  It can present itself when having to ‘perform’ in front of other people (i.e. class presentation, public speaking, and even using a public restroom)....

How do we support those struggling with mental illness? Recently, CBT Baltimore's Shmuel Fischler had the opportunity to interview a wonderful human being and OCD advocate, Stuart Ralph.  He is the creator and facilitator of The OCD Stories, an immensely popular podcast....

  Lessons all around us Whether you are a fan of his music or not, Eminem AKA Marshall Bruce Mathers III, can be a teacher of sorts.  As sagely wisdom offers, ‘Who is the wise man? He who learns from all people....

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the best available psychological treatment for fear, worry, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders (OCSD). Decades of research support the use of CBT, the gold-standard psychological intervention....