We’ve been looking into different forms of therapy more in-depth over the last few weeks. We’ve already covered DBT and ACT. This week, we’re going to be looking at Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). This is a very well-known form of psychotherapy and is usually what most people think of when they think about going to therapy.
What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavior Therapy is a therapy modality that looks at people’s thoughts and behaviors. The basic underlying mechanism behind CBT is that our thoughts and feelings about events impact our behaviors and how we feel about ourselves. We’ve learned certain thought patterns about how to go about in our daily lives. Most of the time, these thought patterns are adaptive and help us cope with the world. Sometimes, they’re not and can be either false, overexaggerated, or distorted in some way due to prior learning. The idea behind CBT is that by examining our thoughts and feelings, we can find those unhelpful patterns that are contributing to mental health disorders like depression and anxiety.
Often, CBT involves three types of thoughts: automatic thoughts, beliefs, and cognitive distortions. Negative automatic thoughts are usually attributed to negative past experiences or fears that then influence how we respond to things now. These automatic thoughts are not always accurate and they’re often something we use to undervalue ourselves. Underlying beliefs, or schemas, are the overall core beliefs we have not just about ourselves but also the world around us. When these beliefs are negative, they can result in lower self-esteem, anxiety, and other problems in our lives. Cognitive distortions are usually logical fallacies that we engage in when trying to explain certain things happening to us. For example, “should” statements are a very common cognitive distortion. These “should” statements are how you think the world should be, regardless of the circumstances involved in the situation, and they often involve very strict rules about how you or others around you should behave.
How does CBT work?
By looking at automatic thoughts, underlying beliefs, and cognitive distortions, clinicians and clients can work to help change negative thought patterns to healthier ones. Often, these negative thought patterns can exacerbate mental health disorders and can contribute to maladaptive behaviors in an attempt to cope with distress. Challenging these thoughts and keeping track of patterns outside of session are integral to working towards changing the cognitive distortions and automatic thoughts.
What is CBT used for?
CBT has been heavily studied in a wide variety of populations. Having been developed in the 1960s, it has had many years of research behind it. It’s been found to be effective in treating many mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, eating disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorder. It’s also been studied in the treatment of chronic pain and other chronic illnesses. Studies have also shown that CBT is effective for grief and other loss related problems.
Because of the depth of research behind it, CBT is trusted within the psychological community to be a good first-line treatment for the majority of clients. Of course, like any treatment, CBT is not right for everyone. However, because of its track record, it is often used first in the treatment of many disorders. It’s also one of the treatment modalities most commonly taught in graduate programs for those training to become therapists.
Getting CBT
Because CBT is taught in the majority of programs and is such a common modality, finding a therapist who uses CBT is very easy! Many therapists utilize it in their practice, ranging from a very strict interpretation to a very loose one where they incorporate other forms of therapy during session.
