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We now offer excellent cognitive-behavioral therapy
webinars. For
the complete schedule,
click here.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy...
is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the important
role of thinking in how we feel and what we do.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy does not exist as a
distinct therapeutic technique. The term
"cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)" is a very general term
for a classification of therapies with similarities.
There are several approaches to cognitive-behavioral
therapy, including Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy,
Rational Behavior Therapy, Rational Living Therapy,
Cognitive Therapy, and Dialectic Behavior Therapy.
However, most cognitive-behavioral therapies have the
following characteristics:
1. CBT is based on the Cognitive Model of Emotional
Response.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that
our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not
external things, like people, situations, and events.
The benefit of this
fact is that we can change the way we think to feel / act
better even if the situation does not change.
2. CBT is Briefer and
Time-Limited.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is considered among the most
rapid in terms of results obtained. The average number of sessions
clients receive (across all types of problems
and approaches to CBT) is only 16.
Other forms of therapy, like psychoanalysis, can take years.
What enables CBT to be briefer is its highly instructive nature and the fact
that it makes
use of homework assignments. CBT is time-limited in that we help
clients understand at the very beginning of the therapy process that there will be a
point when
the formal therapy will end. The ending of the formal therapy is a
decision made by the therapist and client. Therefore, CBT is not an
open-ended, never-ending
process.
3. A sound therapeutic
relationship is necessary for effective therapy, but
not the focus.
Some forms of therapy
assume that the main reason people get better in therapy is because of the positive relationship between the
therapist and client. Cognitive-behavioral
therapists believe it is
important to have a good, trusting relationship, but that is not enough. CBT
therapists believe that the clients change because they learn how to think
differently
and they act on that learning. Therefore, CBT therapists focus on teaching
rational self-counseling skills.
4. CBT is a
collaborative effort between the therapist and the client.
Cognitive-behavioral therapists seek to learn what their
clients want out of life (their goals) and then help their clients achieve those
goals. The therapist's role is to listen,
teach, and encourage, while the client's
roles is to express concerns, learn, and implement that learning.
For excellent
cognitive-behavioral therapy self-help and professional books, audio
presentations, and home-study training programs, please
click here.
5. CBT is based
on aspects of stoic philosophy.
Not all approaches to CBT emphasize stoicism. Rational
Emotive Behavior Therapy, Rational Behavior Therapy, and Rational
Living Therapy emphasize aspects of stoicism.
Beck's Cognitive
Therapy is not based on stoicism.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy does not tell people how they should feel. However, most people seeking therapy do not want to feel they
way they have been feeling. The
approaches that emphasize stoicism teach
the benefits of feeling, at worst, calm when confronted with
undesirable situations. They also emphasize the fact that we have our
undesirable situations
whether we are upset about them or not. If we are upset about our
problems, we have two problems -- the problem, and our upset about it. Most
people
want to have the fewest number of problems possible. So when we learn
how to more calmly accept a personal problem, not only do we feel better, but we
usually put
ourselves in a better position to make use of our
intelligence, knowledge, energy, and resources to resolve the problem.
6. CBT uses the Socratic
Method.
Cognitive-behavioral therapists want to gain a very good
understanding of their clients' concerns. That's why they often ask
questions. They also encourage their clients to ask
questions of themselves, like,
"How do I really know that those people are laughing at me?"
"Could they be laughing about something else?"
7. CBT is structured and
directive.
Cognitive-behavioral therapists have a specific agenda
for each session. Specific techniques / concepts are taught during each
session. CBT focuses on the client's goals.
We do not tell our
clients what their goals "should" be, or what they "should" tolerate. We are
directive in the sense that we show our clients how to think and behave in ways
to obtain
what they want. Therefore, CBT therapists do not tell their clients
what to do -- rather, they teach their clients how to do.
8. CBT is based on an
educational model.
CBT is based on the scientifically supported assumption
that most emotional and behavioral reactions are learned. Therefore, the
goal of therapy is to help clients unlearn
their unwanted reactions and to
learn a new way of reacting.
Therefore, CBT has nothing to do with "just talking".
People can "just talk" with anyone.
The educational emphasis of CBT has an additional benefit --
it leads to long term results. When people understand how and
why they are doing
well, they know what to do to continue doing well.
9. CBT theory and techniques
rely on the Inductive Method.
A central aspect of Rational thinking is that it
is based on fact. Often, we upset ourselves about things when, in fact, the situation
isn't like we think it is. If we knew that, we
would not waste our time
upsetting ourselves.
Therefore, the inductive method encourages us to look at our
thoughts as being hypotheses or guesses that can be questioned and
tested. If we find that our hypotheses are
incorrect (because we have new
information), then we can change our thinking to be in line with how the situation
really is.
10. Homework is a central feature of CBT.
If when you attempted to learn your
multiplication tables you spent only one hour per week studying them, you might still be
wondering what 5 X 5 equals. You very likely
spent a great deal
of time at home studying your multiplication tables, maybe with flashcards.
The same is the case with psychotherapy.
Goal achievement (if obtained) could take a very long time if all a person were
only to think about the techniques and topics taught
was for one hour per
week. That's why CBT therapists assign reading assignments and
encourage their clients to practice the techniques learned.
We now offer
excellent online cognitive-behavioral counseling / psychotherapy. For
more information, please visit
http://www.onlinecbtcounseling.com/default.aspx
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