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Cognitive Behavior Therapy
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Introduction
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) was introduced by Dr. Aaron T. Becks while he was a psychiatrist at Pennsylvanian University. The discovery took place in the 1960’s. According to Becks the thoughts and feelings of a human being shape reality. Changing the negative thoughts that one has is likely to change the experience that one has. Some of the techniques used in CBT include mindfulness, meditation, talk therapy and a few more. All those techniques make sure that the client is aware of the reality surrounding them.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy has been used in the care of persons with serious mental illnesses. It mostly focuses on the relationship between thoughts, emotions and the overall behavior of a person. It is an approach that aims at making sure that the distress in the patient’s thoughts is done away with. Additionally, the approach helps patients to get more flexible perceptions and behaviors (Tovote et al., 2015). The approach creates an environment of collaborative empiricism. In collaborative empiricism, they create a collaborative therapeutic friendship that enables the therapist and the clients to come together with the aim of achieving a common goal. With a good relationship, it is easy to identify the problem and also come up with long-lasting solutions.
Being a problem-oriented approach the emphasis is on the present happenings. This tends to differ with other interventions which focus on the past life of that particular individual. The goals set during the session are smart and be achieved within the set time. It is, therefore, a structured and time-limited approach with a minimal of 5 sessions and a maximum of 20. However, some patients may require lengthy treatment period depending on the issues they are having. It is essential to use an approach like the Cognitive Behavior Therapy because it does not focus on the past which brings back bad memories.
Important Concepts
One important concept used in Cognitive Behavior Therapy is known as the guided discovery. The concept mostly focuses on trying to understand the patients view on a number of issues. Further, it helps them discover the underlying assumptions and how to get solutions for themselves (Hayes, 2016). The questions asked during the sessions, allows the therapist to arrive at a conclusion before even the patient can realize it. The questions are able to draw the attention of the client from something out of the issues they have been thinking about currently. At the end of the session, the therapist is able to get answers as to why the patient thinks in a particular way, why they have such strong beliefs on various issues and many others.
In the behavior techniques, activity scheduling plays a vital role in making sure that the activities of the day are well organized. The graded task assignment, on the other hand, creates steps which are manageable and will help the client to avoid situations which provoke anxiety. The two techniques involve changing the activities of the clients and looking for others which will bring more enjoyment to the patients at all times (Harvey et al., 2014). Most mental patients are in isolation and that the first thing that the therapist eliminate. The planned activities make sure that the patient is not alone at any time.
In behavior techniques, progressive relaxation and breathing exercises are incorporated. They help reduce the high levels autonomic arousal which is directly related to anxiety. Additionally, the technique has been used in the management of panic and other symptoms which are related to anxiety disorders. Most of the patients who have gone through the treatment know that it is a success. It is an approach that assists most mentally ill persons.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy Strategies
During the Cognitive Behavior Therapy session, several strategies are used in making sure that the whole program becomes a success. In the beginning one is supposed to note the mood they always have and what triggers the mood (Baer, 2014). The data collected makes one aware of the distortions they are could be vulnerable too. Instead of focusing on only the negatives that take place the approach challenges the mind to focus on the positive events. Further, the approach makes sure that the client gets exposed to all the sensations they are afraid of with the aim of enlightening them that the sensations are not harmful. Finally, the approach makes sure that one is in a state of relaxation to breathe easily and create balance. The approach is evidence-based and assists the patient depending on the problem they are going through at the time.
The Problems Addressed by CBT
The Cognitive Behavior Therapy has been used in dealing with various psychiatric conditions. Several studies have shown that the approach has been a success as far as the treatment of major depression is concerned. Additionally, it can also be used in the treatment of adult and adolescent bipolar disorder, childhood depressive and anxiety disorders, social phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder and many others (Freedland et al., 2015).The approach has shown positive results in the treatment of depressed patients. Depressed patients who had received the antidepressant medication earlier had a higher probability of going back to the same problem as compared to those that received the CBT treatment. The approach is less exp...