Therapeutic Approach and Philosophy:

"We teach people that they upset themselves.  We can't change the past, so we change how people are thinking, feeling and behaving today."

Albert Ellis

Philosophers have long been aware of the relationship between thinking-feeling-and behaving, with the recognition that each largely relates to and influences the other.  In therapy, it has long been established that that how we think about ourselves, others, and the world, largely influences how we feel, and how we act. In short, as described by Albert Ellis, Ph.D., we become largely responsible for making ourselves disturbed due to patterns of irrational and dysfunctional thoughts.  The consequence of irrational thinking ultimately leads to problems with depression, anxiety, anger, and even addiction.  Thus, at the heart of change is the capacity to identify underlying irrational thoughts, and to dispute and replace these with rational and functional coping skills.  While it may be unreasonable to completely alleviate problems, learning more effective coping styles helps to reduce stress, improve coping, and lead to more stability and contentment.   

Cognitive behavioral therapy, aka CBT, is largely based on the premise that the way we think about ourselves, others, and the world around us, has a tremendous influence on how we feel, and how we act.  Dr. Wexler's goals are to provide new tools, with a focus on cognitive behavioral therapy skills, to ultimately reduce stress, increase coping skills, and to enhance overall well-being.