Important Facts On Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

By Thomas Graham


Psychotherapy is today considered an integral part of management for a wide variety of illness that may be either physical or mental. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that has been shown to have huge benefits for New Jersey patients when used for conditions such as depression, eating disorders and anxiety disorders among others. It involves engaging the client in a structured talk that is spread over several sessions with the aim of finding the cause and treatment of an illness.

Typically, clients are required to attend therapy sessions one every week or every fortnight. Each session usually lasts between 30 minutes and one hour. Depending on the nature of the illness, a total of 5 to 20 sessions are needed. Your therapist will help you classify your problems into three broad categories namely: thoughts, feelings and actions. The analysis of these three areas will help identify the causes of the problem and how best it can be rectified by changing inappropriate thoughts and behaviors.

To get the most out of this therapy, one should approach it as a partnership.it has been shown that persons that participate in the sessions actively are more likely to benefit than those who keep to themselves and leave the therapist to do all the talking. All attempts should be made to ensure that both the therapist and the client agree on the major issues relating to the illness and should come up with a treatment plan together.

The results of CBT are not instant. A lot of patience and hard work are required before any meaningful change is seen. A significant number of clients may experience worsening symptoms as they attempt to confront their illness. This should by no means discourage them from sticking to the treatment plan. Sharing these struggles with their psychotherapist may help create solutions on how to deal with them.

CBT may be done at individual or group level. It is an important component of couples and family therapy. When being used for groups the main prerequisite is that the members of the group share the same problems. CBT that is offered to groups tend to be more effective than the individualized approach. This is because the group members can share their experiences and learn coping skills from each other.

Honesty is also central to the success of the treatment. The client, in particular, should be willing to openly share their thoughts, emotions and experiences. In case of any reservations regarding certain events or emotions, the therapist should be notified. The therapist, on their part, is expected to hold all the information that they receive in confidence (except when they are compelled to share it by the law).

In some cases, symptoms may occur even after successful treatment. To deal with this, one needs to continue practicing the skills that they acquired during previous CBT sessions. Re-enrolling for the therapy may be needed if the symptoms are severe. Another option is to introduce other forms of treatment so as to increase the effectiveness of CBT. Such treatments may include pharmacotherapy agents such as antidepressants and other forms of psychotherapy.

When you decide to seek the help of a CBT specialist, do your research to ensure that your chosen therapist is qualified. They should have the right education and licensing. Find out whether you can meet the costs involved to avoid dropping out before the treatment has been completed.




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