Counseling Approaches

Counseling Approaches
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Counseling Approaches
Cognitive therapy is one of the counseling strategies used to treat broad behavioral addictions, including a variety of substance use disorders. The mental health counseling approach was established by Dr. Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s and aimed to help people address problematic thoughts that fuel their addiction. The counselor helps the patient identify links between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, over and above, increasing awareness of how these feelings impact recovery. Therefore, cognitive therapy is geared towards supporting the patient in realizing the illogicality of specific harmful actions and feelings resulting from either past experiences or environmental factors in relation to their addictions (Ray et al., 2020). The counseling approach is founded on the belief that once a person comprehends why they act in a certain way, they are better equipped to regulate their emotions and overcome their addiction. Cognitive therapists help those struggling with substance use disorder to identify and deal with those negative thoughts that fuel addiction. These drug-fueling thoughts or feelings are often the result of internalized feelings or the patient’s misconceptions about himse...