Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a highly effective treatment approach for many emotional and mental health issues and can be used to treat depression and anxiety.
Overall, CBT aims to help people identify their unhelpful thoughts and challenge them by learning self-help and coping strategies. They are designed to bring out immediate and positive changes for your quality of life.
Likewise, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), is great for those who require support to challenge their negative thoughts that prevent them from reaching goals and living the life they wish to have.
CBT focuses on showing you that your thinking can affect your mood. It teaches you ways to think less negatively about your life and self. Overall, it’s based on the understanding that negative thinking is a habit that can be broken, just like others.
Is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Helpful for Eating Disorders? What Else?
CBT can be used to treat various psychological and mental health conditions, such as:
- Anxiety disorders (post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social phobias)
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Irrational fears
- Low self-esteem
- Substance use disorders
- Substance misuse (drinking and smoking)
- Hypochondria
- Marriage and relationship problems
- Insomnia
- Panic disorder
- Eating disorders
- Gambling problems
- Social anxiety disorder
- Mood disorders
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Thoughts, Behaviours, and Feelings
The primary focus of CBT is that behaviours, thought patterns, and feelings all combine to influence the person’s quality of life. Severe shyness in a social situation might happen because you think others find you stupid or boring. That belief may cause you to feel anxious when in public.
Such a behaviour might lead to others, such as sweating, trembling, and other uncomfortable symptoms. Then, you feel overwhelmed with your negative thoughts and negative self-talk. That fear of social situations becomes worse with each poor experience.
CBT is there to teach people that they can control their feelings, behaviours, and thoughts. It helps you challenge those automatic beliefs and overcome them with practical strategies and coping mechanisms to move past your mental health problems. The result is having more positive feelings, which might lead to better behaviours and thoughts.
Combining Cognitive Therapy with Behaviour Therapy
CBT helps you change unhealthy and unhelpful behaviours and thoughts and is a combination of two therapies: behaviour and cognitive therapy. The basis for both is that having healthy thoughts leads to healthy behaviours and feelings.
Cognitive Therapy Sessions
Cognitive therapy focuses on changing how you think about something that causes a concern.
Negative thoughts often lead to self-destructive behaviours and feelings. For example, you think you’re unworthy of respect or love, so you withdraw from social situations and become shy. Cognitive therapy helps you choose healthier options.
There are various techniques involved and used, such as exposure therapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and dialectical behaviour therapy.
Overall, the goal is to make you look into those behaviours and feelings and acknowledge that they aren’t true. When you see the evidence, you can realise the belief is false.
Behaviour Therapy
Behaviour therapy focuses on teaching you the coping skills or techniques necessary for altering your behaviours. If you are shy at a party, you might be having negative feelings about yourself or lack social skills.
You learn helpful behaviours with this therapy. For example, you can learn conversational skills by practising them in therapy and your social situations.
Treatment with CBT
Your treatment details vary based on your situation, though CBT often includes these cognitive behavioural interventions/techniques:
- Assessment – You might fill out a questionnaire to describe your issue or pinpoint symptoms. Usually, you’re asked to complete them periodically to help you and the therapist track progress and identify current problems that require extra attention.
- Personal Education – The therapist gives you written materials to help you learn about your situation. Knowledge is power here and the cornerstone of CBT. Therefore, you must understand your psychological problem to dismiss unfounded fears and negate those bad feelings.
- Goal Setting – The therapist will help you create a list of goals you want to achieve through therapy. Then, you both work out strategies to fulfil them.
- Strategy Practise – You will practise the new strategies with your therapy, such as through role-play.
- Homework – You’re expected to be an active participant in your therapy. Therefore, you should use the practical strategies set up in therapy during your daily life, reporting those results to your therapist. Most people keep a diary, though there are other therapeutic approaches available.
Medication and CBT
Medication might not be necessary, but it’s crucial to consult with your GP or psychiatrist. Generally, all three should work together to provide you with the best and most effective treatment for your mental illness.
Behavioural therapy is often effective for anxiety and depression, but you and the therapist might decide that medication and CBT could produce better results. For example, if you have bipolar disorder, it’s often better to use medication that controls mood swings.
Issues to Consider Before Choosing Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Before you choose cognitive behavioural therapy, you should consider these issues:
- CBT might not be ideal for those with brain diseases and injuries that will impair rational thinking.
- CBT requires you to be an active participant in your treatment. You might be asked to keep a diary about your behaviours, thoughts, and feelings. If you’re not prepared to work at it, you might be disappointed with your results.
- CBT involves having a close relationship with your therapist, so respect and trust are important.
- CBT is considered to be a short-term psychotherapy option, but it could take many months to successfully challenge your unhealthy behaviour patterns and overcome them. It’s not a quick fix.
Where to Get Help (CBT Therapist)
Psychologists, counsellors, and mental health therapists can offer cognitive behavioural therapy online, through small groups, or as one-on-one sessions. Whether you suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder or something else, you’re trained to look at the evidence logically and adjust your thinking process.
If you’re interested in cognitive behavioural therapy, consider the services at Energetics Institute. The therapists are experts in behavioural responses and treating anxiety so that people can live a quality everyday life.
References:
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/cognitive-behaviour-therapy
https://www.healthline.com/health/cognitive-behavioral-therapy
https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/cognitive-behaviour-therapy-cbt
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