The Cognitive Behavioral Approach to Therapy Stresses Healthy Thoughts and Healthy Actions
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment that assists individuals in changing unhealthy thoughts and behaviors. It has applications for anxiety, depression, and addiction. CBT works on the principle that healthy thoughts lead to healthy feelings and actions.
Cognitive behavioral therapy emphasizes that the initial step in treating mental health issues is discovering what’s causing them. Your therapist will ask questions to identify underlying problems and provide strategies for between sessions to help manage the stress.
Once you begin therapy, your therapist will ask you to keep a record of all symptoms and problems experienced. This helps them monitor progress during sessions and guarantee the treatment is working effectively for you.
Once you’ve identified the issue(s), your therapist can create an appropriate treatment plan based on factors like personality, nature of issues and previous successful treatments. They take into account factors like what works for each individual as well as any current medications you are taking and potential side effects.
They will also examine your family history and any medical conditions that could be contributing to your symptoms. They’ll inquire into how long you have been struggling with these symptoms and if other types of therapies have been tried previously.
Your therapist may provide you with written materials to take home. These could include strategies for success and self-help tools.
Your therapist and you will collaborate to set goals for therapy. These could range from conquering shyness in social settings, to becoming more confident dealing with stressful or anxious moments.
In subsequent sessions, your therapist will help you put your new strategies to the test in a realistic setting. This may involve role-playing challenging social scenarios or practicing realistic self-talk.
Your therapist will use an ABC model (Action, Beliefs and Consequences) to assist in reframing any irrational beliefs that are causing negative feelings or behaviors. Unfortunately, these misconceptions often lead to detrimental outcomes for your wellbeing.
The therapist may also suggest that you consider the events or experiences causing your problems from different perspectives. Doing this can help you comprehend why these difficulties are occurring and recognize that there may be ways in the future to alter them.
It’s essential to be aware that our thoughts can be biased and incorrect – for instance, people with panic disorder might mistakenly believe they’re having a heart attack. This mistake could lead to further episodes of fear in the future.
Conversely, someone with post-traumatic stress disorder might mistakenly assume their nightmares are mental in nature – this is not true: it’s common for PTSD patients to experience unpleasant flashbacks of their traumatic events and these have good neurobiological explanations.