What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on creating change by uprooting irrational thoughts and negative beliefs. Considered a “solution oriented” form of therapy, CBT is concerned with the way people view themselves and the world and the ways in which those frameworks and perceptions determine their reactions - often more than the actual events themselves. CBT is built on the idea that if we can change our thoughts and beliefs, we can positively affect our reactions and behavior. The relationship with the therapist is more problem-focused and practical than in many other therapies.
How does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy work?
CBT focuses on problem-solving current issues. The therapist helps identify upsetting and painful thoughts and then works to determine whether or not those thoughts are realistic given the situation. Often our ways of thinking start in the early years of life and can become automatic and fixed. CBT works to help people understand these automatic assumptions and hold them up for reality-checking. If certain thoughts are determined to be unrealistic, the therapist presents specific steps for the client to take to help change their thought patterns to be more true to the situation. Unlike many other modalities, CBT has a structure: at the beginning of therapy the client describes the problems and together the client and therapist set goals, which become the basis of the treatment. Then at each session, the client and therapist together determine a problem to focus on, and at the conclusion, homework is often assigned to help reinforce the new thought learning.
For example: if a child was only praised when they did well at school they may have learned: “I must perform well for people to like me. If I fail I will be rejected.” As that person goes through life, every time they do not succeed they believe their relationships are threatened and experience depression and shame. CBT would help uncover that false belief and point to other possibilities and realities; “I can fail and still be loved. Everyone fails sometimes and that is a part of learning and being human.”
Who can Cognitive Behavioral Therapy help?
CBT is appropriate for people of all ages, including children, adolescents, adults,and families, and is used for a wide range of disorders. It is often used to help with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, sleep disorders, chronic pain, and more. It is a preferred method of many insurance companies, as it can be effective in a brief amount of time, often 5-20 sessions.
Rachel Lund started Self Space out of the deep belief in the power of therapy to change people’s lives from the inside out. Her hope is to help people find more safety, care and love in their lives. Rachel is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Clinical Supervisor in Washington state, and focuses on treating clients through a neuropsychotherapy approach to therapy that connects mind+body.