CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is a set of methods used to overcome a variety of psychological obstacles and disorders, some of which include depression, anxiety, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), emotional, psychological, or behavioral issues, etc.
Bluntly put, CBT is suitable for any person who needs a little light shed on some unexplainable and harmful habits. By that it is aimed at those who are able to think and reflect upon their thinking.
How does it work?
Through CBT, a person isn't directly manipulated by the therapist, but is rather taught a set of psychological skills, or tools if you wish, and is then left to reevaluate the previous situation – and thus help himself rather than be helped.
The methods of this form of therapy are refreshing in comparison to traditional counseling, and that is why it is also why many patients prefer it to the previously employed ways of dealing with the same palette of psychological issues.
There is a down side (though it is only a temporary one), and that is that there is a shortage of NHS personnel who are able to perform CBT. This means that people who apply for it will often be put on lengthy waiting lists, which is not a good thing for those who are temporarily off duty due to their states of mind.
An alternative solution to the above mentioned problem would most definitely be hiring a private therapist who is qualified to deliver CBT. This may be a somewhat costly choice, but the good thing is that CBT is normally limited to a figure of up to fifteen sessions, which makes it a predictable one.
The time limit of the therapy requires an increased effort on the part of the patient. This is because if the patient is to make the most out of each and every of the few (most likely up to fifteen) sessions, he or she is to practice the techniques in-between the appointments as well. This is to say that the fact that there is an ending to the therapy motivates the patients to learn the techniques themselves, that they may apply them later on as well.
However, a patient with a long-standing and a bit more complex problem ought to schedule a longer term of input. The therapist should be able to pass fair judgment of this criteria, so it is not necessary for the patient to get into these types of details.
An Example of a Six Week CBT Treatment
A General introduction to CBT, the ability to recognize the relationships between thoughts, feelings and behavior; the ability to monitor thoughts as well as the identification of "hot thoughts".
Revision of the thoughts diary, challenging unhelpful thinking, the recognition of errors in processing info, the substitution of rational adaptive interpretations for biased ones.
The identification of underlying core beliefs, challenging them, and restructuring new adaptive beliefs; also: the design of the patient's very own behavioral experiments.
- 6. The Conduction of the previously designed experiments in order to target the specific difficulties of the patient.
Again, when it comes to shorter courses of treatment, the magnitude of the importance of the homework the patient is issued cannot be stressed enough.
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