Cognitive behavioral therapy definition, working process, uses, types, used techniques, effectiveness, therapist finding, expactations

 

Definition

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of behavioral therapy which helps you to manage your life and problems by changing the thoughts and characteristics. This therapy helps to identify and prevent your self-destructive behaviors. The main focus of the therapy or treatment is to identify current problems and the way to change them. This treatment is usually used for anxiety and depression.  

How it works

The CBT focuses mainly on your thoughts, physical sensations and feelings etc. Your negative thoughts can lead you to negative cycle. CBT deals with it. It helps you to solve disgusting problems of your life by dividing them into small parts. It is shown to change your negative thoughts. And moreover, this treatment focuses on your current life problems, not on your past history. It is a practical way to improve your mind.

Uses

This therapy is useful to those people who have:

• Bipolar disorder
• Borderline personality disorder
• Eating disorders – such as anorexia and bulimia
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Panic disorder
• Phobias
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Psychosis
• Schizophrenia
• Sleep problems – such as insomnia
• Problems related to alcohol misuse

Some long-term problems are also treated by this:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic pain

Types

There are some different types of behavioral therapy. Some of these are:

• Applied behavior analysis
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Cognitive behavioral play therapy
• Dialectal behavioral therapy
• Exposure therapy
• Rational emotive behavior therapy
• Social learning therapy
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
  

Used techniques

It is more important to know the techniques of CBT, rather than its working process. The used techniques in this therapy are based on the operant conditioning and theories of classical conditioning.

Effectiveness

Behavioral therapy has greatly been used to treat many people. So, it is highly effective. A study found that this therapy is effective for most of the case like anxiety disorders, bulimia, depression etc. Play therapy is also very effective for the children of 3-12 years old. But nowadays it is also being used for the people of all ages.

Therapist finding

You may feel overwhelming when finding a therapist for behavioral therapy. But in this case, some things may make your way easier. When you are going to choose a therapist for this treatment, try to choose from psychologists, psychiatrists, social worker etc. Ensure that your contacted therapist has required degrees and others. Some physician may focus only on a particular things, such as eating disorder, depression or any other. If you don’t find any therapist, contact with a doctor. He may suggest you something. He also may recommend some therapists if it is essential for you.

Expectations

With family members or those who are dealing with similar problems, cognitive behavioral therapy can be conducted one-on-one or in groups. If you reside in a place with few local services for mental health, you may be able to participate in CBT using online tools.