What are Cognitive Behavioral Therapies?Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) are a category of psychotherapies that deal with the theory that how we think affects both how we feel and what we do. Cognitive therapy suggests that psychological distress is caused by distorted thoughts about things that happen to you, resulting in distressed emotions. Cognitive therapy aims to help you become aware of thought distortions which are causing you psychological distress, and your behavior patterns which reinforce these thoughts, and how you can correct them. The term "cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)" is a very general term for a classification of therapies that have similarities. There are several approaches to cognitive-behavioral therapy, including Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Rational Behavior Therapy, Rational Living Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, and Dialectic Behavior Therapy, just in case you have heard of any of these or read about them, now you know they fall under the CBT category. However, most cognitive-behavioral therapies have the following characteristics:
Change Your Thoughts – Change Your LifeCognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that our thoughtscause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events. This means that we can change the way we think and we can feel and act better even if the situation does not change. Change your thoughts – change your life.CBT is Shorter and Time-LimitedCognitive-behavioral therapy is considered to have the best results for the time invested. The average number of sessions clients receive (across all types of problems and approaches to CBT) is only about 16 sessions. Other forms of therapy, like psychoanalysis, can take years, and just never seems to end. CBT makes the best use of the time by providing intensive instruction and through the use of homework. Yes, homework.CBT is time-limited in that it is understood at the very beginning of the therapy process that the formal therapy will end. The ending of the formal therapy is a decision made by you and the therapist.
A good therapeutic relationship helps– but not the central focusCognitive-behavioral therapists believe it is important to have a good,trusting relationship, but that is not enough. CBT therapists believe that the clients change because they learn how to think differently and then act on what they are taught – with practice and reinforcement at home. So the therapist can spend more attention and focus on teaching skills.You and the therapist work togetherCognitive-behavioral therapists seek to learn what their clients want out of life (their goals) and then help you achieve those goals. The therapist's role is to listen, teach, and encourage, while your role is to express concerns, learn, and implement that learning.CBT skills teach handling difficult situationsCognitive-behavioral therapy does not tell people how they should feel. However, most people seeking therapy do not want to feel they way they have been feeling. The approaches that emphasize stoicism teach the benefits of feeling, at worst, calm when confronted with undesirable situations.You also learn that difficult or undesirable situation are going to happen regardless of how upset you are about them. If we get upset about our problems, now we have two problems -- the problem, and being upset about it. So when we learn how to more calmly accept a personal problem, not only do we feel better, but we usually put ourselves in a better position to resolve the problem.
Understanding through questions (using the Socratic way)Cognitive-behavioral therapists want to gain a very good understanding of your concerns. That's why they often ask you a lot of questions. They also encourage you to ask questions, like, "How do I really know that those people are laughing at me?" "Could they be laughing about something else?"CBT is structured and directiveCognitive-behavioral therapists have a specific agenda for each session. Specific techniques and concepts are taught during each session. CBT sessions are focused on your goals. It does not tell you what your goals "should" be, or what they "should" tolerate. It is directive in the sense that you learn how to think and behave in ways to obtain what you want. Therefore, CBT therapists do not tell you what to do -- rather, they teach you how to do.CBT is based on an educational modelCBT is based on the scientifically supported assumption that most emotional and behavioral reactions are learned. Therefore, the goal of therapy is to help clients unlearn their unwanted reactions and to learn a new way of reacting. CBT has nothing to do with "just talking". People can "just talk" with anyone.The educational emphasis of CBT has an additional benefit -- it leads to long term results. When you can understand how and why you are doing well, you will know what to do to continue doing well.
CBT theory and techniques use the Inductive MethodWhat on earth is the Inductive Method? Well, it goes a little like this: a central aspect of rational thinking is that it is based on fact. Often, we upset ourselves about things when the situation isn't like we think it is. If we knew that, we would not have to waste our time getting all upset.The inductive method encourages us to look at our thoughts as being hypotheses or guesses that can be questioned and tested. If we figure out that we guessed incorrectly (because we have new information), then we can change our thinking base on the updated information, or how it really is. That is the inductive method.
Homework is a central feature of CBTIf you were trying to learn the multiplication tables and only spent one hour a week studying, you would probably still be working on it! The same is the case with psychotherapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy. Achieving your goals could take a very long time if you only spend one hour a week on it. That's why CBT Therapists use homework reading assignments and encourage you to practice the techniques learned.Finding a Cognitive Behavioral TherapistThere are certainly a growing number of therapists who are trained in CBT, but how do you find the one who is right for you? Click here for a step-by-step method of finding the right CBT therapist for you and your child:Finding a CBT Therapist
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