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Stanford Health Care

Techniques

Our Approach to Cardiac Behavioral Therapy 

Certain lifestyle behaviors, such as stress eating, smoking, or substance abuse, can contribute to heart disease. Psychological issues, such as anxiety, depression, or stress, can also have an effect.

At our Cardiac Behavioral Medicine Program, we provide personalized care to help people manage these lifestyle factors. We use the most up-to-date research (some of it pioneered here at Stanford) to help people make small, doable changes for healthy, lifelong habits.

Our highly trained psychologists help you identify thought patterns that may cause unhealthy behaviors. With specialized training in heart disease-related issues, we help you make sustainable modifications.

What We Offer You for Cardiac Behavioral Therapy

  • Advanced expertise of Stanford’s licensed clinical psychologists, who have specialized training in health psychology, biofeedback, and cognitive behavioral therapy. 
  • Team-based planning between experienced psychologists, psychiatrists, cardiologists, surgeons, and dietitians, who work together to create an individualized, tailored approach for you.
  • Individualized care to work with you in the way you feel most comfortable: one-on-one or in small group classes.
  • Robust support services including a support group for women with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), meetings with a dietitian, and a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) class. 
  • Active research program that includes studies on the psychological impact that SCAD has on women and the use of telecommunications to manage hypertension. 

What Is Cardiac Behavioral Therapy?

Cardiac Behavioral Therapy Techniques

Your personalized plan may consist of one treatment or a combination of therapies, including:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): We use evidence-based, skills-focused psychotherapy to treat depression, anxiety, and chronic stress, and make healthy lifestyle changes to prevent cardiovascular disease or slow its progression. We work with you to develop an action plan, personalized for your needs and lifestyle. The goal is to make changes that you can maintain over the long term.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I): The gold standard for insomnia treatment, this behavioral therapy involves meeting with a specially trained psychologist to modify behaviors and cognitions that contribute to chronic difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Our therapists often work closely with the specialists at Stanford’s Sleep Medicine Center. 

Biofeedback: This therapy uses sensors to gather real-time physiologic information about a person’s stress response. Our psychologists then train patients to use these specialized techniques to adjust the body’s reaction to stress, including processes that we don’t normally have control over, such as heart rate. 

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR): We offer an 8-week course to help people manage chronic stress and anxiety using a variety of proven mindfulness techniques.

Our Clinics

Preventive Cardiology

Our expert cardiologists offer an integrated approach to patient care, including understanding cardiovascular risk factors, developing individualized nutrition plans, and providing lifestyle counseling.

300 Pasteur Drive
2nd Floor, Room A260
 Stanford, CA 94305
Phone: 650-725-5909 Getting Here
Make An Appointment

To schedule an appointment, please call: 650-723-6459