By the time most people look up CBT, the term has already been following them around. A doctor suggested it, a friend recommended it, or an article told you to ask for it by name. So you know the letters. What’s less clear is what actually happens in the sessions.
This page covers cognitive behavioral therapy as Dr. Eric K. Mason practices it at Lighthouse Human Services & Counseling in Bangkok, Thailand. If you searched for cognitive behavioural therapy, that’s the same thing, just the British spelling of it.
Two fair questions tend to sit underneath the search: whether CBT is the right kind of therapy for what you’re dealing with, and whether the therapist you’d see actually works this way.
What CBT actually involves
CBT starts from a plain observation: the same event can land differently on two people, and the difference often sits in what the event seems to mean. A coworker passes you in the corridor without saying hello. One person barely registers it. Another thinks "they’re avoiding me," spends the afternoon turning it over, and starts taking the long route to the break room. The thought drives the feeling, the feeling drives the behavior, and the behavior keeps the thought from ever being tested. Each pass around that loop makes the next one easier to fall into.
CBT works on the thoughts in that loop: the automatic ones, the split-second readings of a situation that arrive already feeling like facts. You learn to catch them, weigh them against what’s actually true, and try small changes in behavior to see what happens.
It’s a structured, practical and widely researched method, which is part of why it gets recommended by name. Sessions have a focus rather than an open agenda: you agree on what you’re working on, and each session picks that up. There’s also work between sessions, small tasks to try out. “Homework” is the usual word, and it matters: the loop you’re working on runs through your ordinary week, not just the hour in the room.
The structure suits some people more than others. Some want tools and a clear direction from the first session; others do better with room to talk and let things surface in their own time. Neither preference is wrong. If Dr. Mason thinks CBT is a poor fit for what you bring, he’ll say so, and why.
What it is used for here
At Lighthouse, Dr. Mason uses CBT in treating [anxiety](/anxiety/), [depression](/depression/), [OCD](/ocd/), [anger management](/anger-management/), [ADHD](/adhd/) and [PTSD](/ptsd/). For OCD, CBT takes a specific form called Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP. The OCD page goes into more detail.
Depending on what someone brings, he often combines CBT with other approaches, and he’ll tell you why when he does. He’s a psychologist, not a psychiatrist, so he doesn’t prescribe.
What happens when you get in touch
You can call us at 092 288 7234, any day from 11am to 6pm. We have two locations in Bangkok: the TT Building on Sukhumvit 81 in Phra Khanong, and The Racquet Club on Sukhumvit 49/9. Sessions are also available online, so you can work with Dr. Mason from anywhere in Thailand, or keep going if you move.
A first message commits you to nothing, and it’s treated as confidential. If you’re still unsure whether CBT is right for you, that’s a fair thing to raise before anything else.
Privacy, plainly stated
What you tell us stays with us.
What you share is protected under the same professional confidentiality standards that govern licensed psychologists and counsellors. We don’t confirm to anyone, including family or employers, that you’re a client here.
If you’d rather not share your full name at first, that’s fine, tell us what to call you and we’ll go from there. Read more about confidentiality
Get in touch
Reach out, at your own pace.
A message here doesn’t commit you to anything. Ask a question, describe what’s going on, or just say hello, we’ll take it from there.