Faith & CBT
How Christian Faith and CBT Can Work Together
Andrew Yeaton shares a practical example of using CBT to observe thoughts and choices while making room for Scripture and faith when the client wants it.
People sometimes ask whether using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy means setting faith aside. In my work, it does not have to. CBT gives us a practical way to notice the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. For a client who wants faith included, Scripture can help us ask what is true, what matters, and how we want to live. The clinical tool and the spiritual conversation can inform one another without being treated as the same thing.
I am a Christian counselor, but I work with people from different backgrounds. We decide together whether faith has a place in our sessions. No one needs to agree with my beliefs to receive care.
Start by noticing, not judging
Imagine you had a hard conversation at work and left thinking, “I failed. I always let people down.” You feel ashamed, replay the exchange, and avoid the next conversation. In CBT, we might write down the event, the thought, the feeling, and the behavior. That small act of observation helps us see that “I failed” is an interpretation, not the entire event.
Then we could ask: What happened? What part was yours to own? What did you handle well? Is “always” accurate? A balanced response might be, “I missed something important, and I can repair it and prepare differently next time.” That is neither denial nor forced positivity. It is a fuller account of reality that leaves room for action.
Make room for faith when it helps
If you want to bring faith into that moment, we might also ask how truth, grace, responsibility, and hope shape your response. Romans 12:2 speaks of the renewal of the mind. I do not use that verse as a command to stop feeling ashamed. I see it as an invitation to examine the story that is forming in your mind and to practice a truer one.
Deuteronomy 6:5 calls us to love God with our whole selves. Thoughts matter, but so do emotions, bodies, habits, relationships, and choices. Matthew 6:21 can prompt a question about what we treasure and where our hearts have become attached. These passages can deepen reflection without becoming shortcuts around grief, anxiety, or appropriate treatment.
Practice a different next step
I sometimes describe CBT as both defense and offense for the spiritual life. Defense is catching a thought or impulse before it runs the whole day. Offense is planning the next truthful, useful action—perhaps making an apology, having the conversation, or setting a boundary. That practice can be clinical, spiritual, or both, according to what you want to bring into counseling.
If you are curious about this approach, ask about working with me in Dallas, Richardson, or by telehealth. Learn more about Christian counseling.
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