Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of mental treatment that merges two forms of therapy: cognitive, which monitors the way you think, and behavioral, which monitors how you do things. Based on apprehending the relationship between your thought process, how you feel and react, and how every factor influences the other, CBT progress is usually examined through keeping records and taking a survey before or at the start of your therapy session in order to ascertain that the treatment you are receiving is effective when it comes to helping you live your best life. This form of therapy is usually done by certified mental health practitioners.
The History of CBT
CBT, as we know it these days, provides an array of psychological health benefits and was established by many psychotherapists in the 1960s and 70s, most distinctly Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck. Labeled color the ‘gold-standard of psychotherapy’, CBT is an effective treatment method utilized by most therapists since it can help in treating a range of conditions like insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychosis, eating disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and anxiety.
How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Works
Kathleen Camacho, Ph.D., a certified medical psychology instructor and clinical psychologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center based in New York says that the reason CBT is an acceptable kind of therapy can be attributed to the fact that the treatment is short-term (usually needing six sessions to make a breakthrough). In CBT, there’s a focus on teaching skills for coping so individuals can become their own psychoanalysts and learn to change their thought process, feelings, and overall behavior.
Camacho continues to explain that in CBT, you will come to know about the scenarios that elicit distress or the circumstances that are challenging while at the same time discovering new approaches to cope better. What’s more, you get to know how to assess your thoughts and physiological emotions or symptoms more impartially instead of taking them superficially.
Principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Per the American Psychological Association, CBT is based on a couple of main principles. They include:
Psychological issues partly arise from negative thought patterns.
Psychological issues exist, to some extent, due to patterns of negative behavior.
Psychological issues can be prevented by getting to know new coping tactics to handle the above-mentioned behaviors and thought patterns.
Kathryn Coniglio, an affiliate of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and a doctoral candidate at Rutgers University located in New Jersey says that the best part about this type of therapy is that changing one of these aspects – your emotions, thoughts or actions – modifications in the other will ensue.
Coniglio continues to say that by assisting people to alter their behaviors, not only do the clients exhibit positive emotions, but there’s also a change in their thought process from an all-or-nothing dynamic to more adjustable and pragmatic thoughts.
At its basis, CBT suggests that any issues you may be facing, to some degree, exist as a result of negative thoughts and behavioral patterns. By keeping you in the present, CBT provides a method for you to deal with your issues by interrupting your behavioral patterns and negative thoughts and consequently decreasing the amount of stress you have.
Coniglio continues to say that emotions are nearly impossible to alter since they are integrated into the oldest portions of our brains. Therefore, we alter behaviors and thoughts in the hopes of altering emotions. She continues to say that CBT assists individuals to comprehend that a change in behavior and new ways to think can alter emotions. Even though this mental change isn’t instinctive at the beginning, it works.
Which Therapists Can Practice CBT?
Certified mental health counselors, qualified employee assistance professionals, and certified clinical social workers can all provide CBT. Although these certifications show their professional training and years of education, it’s vital that you authenticate a therapist has received accreditation to operate in your state. The state licensing board can confirm this.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Assist Insomnia, Depression, Anxiety and More.
American Psychological Association believes that CBT can be used for treating a variety of problems. Some of the problems it can combat include:
- Insomnia
- Eating disorders
- Social phobia
- Hypochondria
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Anger
