What Is Cognitive Behavior Therapy?

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Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that teaches individuals to identify and evaluate their emotions as they occur. This allows the person to recognize irrational or distorted emotions and correct their thinking so that it more closely resembles reality. In turn this will result in less distress and destructive behavior that might follow these intense emotions.

There are actually many therapies that employ the CBT approach. While there are many different approaches to CBT that a specific technique might use, they all still adhere to the following characteristics:

Bassed on the Cognitive Model of Emotional Response: At the core of CBT is the idea that our thoughts, not external things, cause our feelings and behaviors. To this end CBT can help to change the way someone thinks so they are able to feel and act better, even if the surrounding situation is still the same.

Has a Time Limit: Unlike psychoanalysis and other forms of therapy, CBT is not open-ended. At the very start of sessions, the client and therapist should decide when formal therapy should end (average is 16 sessions). They are able to do this because results occur much quicker due to the highly instructive nature of this therapy and the fact that it utilizes homework assignments.

Focuses on Teaching Instead of Forming Trust: While other psychotherapy approaches believe that long standing trust must be built between the therapist and client in order for results to happen, this is not the case with CBT. Instead, the main role of the therapists is to teach rational self-counseling skills to the client so they can begin to think differently. However, this does not mean that CBT is not a collaborative effort. The therapist will still actively learn about the client and their goals to better implement how they can change their thought pattern when confronted with a difficult situation.

If you are having trouble controlling your thoughts and emotions when faced with unpleasant or undesirable predicaaments, contact Kent Brand at A Family Matter today. He can provide counseling to help you face your anxieties or irrational behavior and learn to think in ways that will improve your life.

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Posted in Counseling, Mental Health on Mar 28, 2017

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