CBT is one of the most popular psychotherapies. Here’s why – and why it might be good for you.
When it comes to psychotherapies, people seeking mental health care have no shortage of options to choose from. Talk therapy – also called counseling – is the most popular and traditional option and involves an individual or couple meeting with a mental health professional to verbalize thoughts, concerns, feelings, emotions or behaviors in order to understand what is the cause. see and learn coping strategies and strategies.
Other sought-after treatments include mindfulness meditation and retraining (EMDR), exposure therapy, music therapy, integrative therapy, and hypnotherapy.
But none of this matches the proven benefits and general acceptance of a form of treatment that has been widely recommended for the past two decades: cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT.
What is CBT?
CBT is a form of therapy developed by the famous psychiatrist Aaron Beck in the early 1970s as a way to help patients understand the relationship between their behavior and their thoughts, fears and feelings. Joanne Broder, psychologist, member of the American Psychological Association, says: “His model was validated in 1977 and has been shown to work well in many research studies and by doctors who use this model in clinical settings.” peer-reviewed journal “Psychology of Popular Media.”
He explains that CBT works by first helping the patient to understand what is going on between the event or situation and their feelings or behavior.
For example, he says you can imagine being insulted by a careless comment or disrespectful speech from another person and check if your first response is to return the insult, completely ignoring it. or you make the situation worse by getting into a physical fight. . He says: “Your belief system will help you make that choice, so the goal of CBT is to create a good belief system that can be the basis for making good decisions.”
This is often called cognitive restructuring and is based on replacing irrational or destructive thoughts with rational, balanced and valid ones.
Often in limited and structured time, professionals trained in CBT often present behavioral tests, share tools and helpful techniques such as mindfulness meditation or relaxation breathing, and develop new ways to solve problems. and promoting self-monitoring techniques to help patients keep track. of their behavior, symptoms and development.
Juanita Guerra, a clinical psychologist in New Rochelle, New York, says: She adds that CBT “can also increase a person’s self-esteem and help them feel more empowered.”
Broder agrees, noting that the benefits of CBT include the patient’s improved ability to make thoughtful decisions that align with their value system, rather than making quick decisions or following the crowd. “They have a strong sense of self-awareness to control negative thoughts and make better behavioral choices,” he says.
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Who is CBT for?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been shown to be helpful in a variety of situations and across many groups of people but is particularly helpful “in treating symptoms of anxiety and depression,” says Elizabeth Hoge, a psychiatrist. a psychologist and director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program at Georgetown. University.
He said that helping also helps a person overcome something he is afraid of. “For example, if a person is afraid of heights, the therapist may gradually (over several weeks) put themselves on higher and higher floors of the building to get used to the feeling of fear, which usually subsides, ” he explains.
Guerra says the therapy has also proven helpful in treating hoarding syndrome, PTSD, depression and alcoholism.
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Does CBT have problems?
CBT is not generally controversial in the way that other psychotherapies are. But Guerra says one limitation is that CBT is highly structured and time-consuming and requires a lot of work and individual practice. “If the client is not willing to do their job, the treatment will not work,” he warns.
He adds that CBT also doesn’t work well for people with serious personality problems such as interpersonal problems or for people with a variety of emotional styles who have negative feelings about ‘ true, since treatment depends on thinking and exercising.
Another frustration Hoge points out is that some insurance companies don’t cover the treatment. CBT can also be emotionally uncomfortable and may not work for everyone – even if the person is willing to put in the time and effort required. “Treatment is not a one-size-fits-all process,” says Broder. “There may be other types of treatment that work better than CBT for some people.”
To assess whether CBT is the right choice for you, Guerra suggests consulting with a mental health professional trained in CBT. “That way you can make an informed decision about whether psychotherapy is the right or best treatment for your mental health problems and the desired outcomes,” he says.
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