While cognitive behavioral therapy may sound simple—CBT therapist Seth Gillihan writes that he tells clients that the things he’ll ask them to do are “stupidly obvious”—it can be quite challenging in practice. Our patterns of thinking are often deeply entrenched and habitual—and as with any long-standing habit, it can be an arduous process to replace one thought pattern with a new, healthier one. As in all types of therapy, it is important to work with a therapist with whom one can be open and candid.
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- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on modifying dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and thoughts by interrogating and uprooting negative or irrational beliefs.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you better understand and work through the roadblocks that are preventing you from living a full and healthy life.
- Read our review of the best online therapy options to help find the right fit for you.
- It’s great to do something pleasant, but doing something small that can make you feel accomplished may have more long-lasting and far-reaching effects.
However, certain individuals are more likely to see positive effects than others. Therapists must evaluate patients on a case-by-case basis to determine if the person is a good candidate for CBT. Before cognitive behavioral therapy, there was an approach called behavior therapy that was controversial at the time of its development. One of the first treatments in this approach was done with youth and the correction of enuresis (bed-wetting; Bolla, Sartore, & Correale, 1938).
How does CBT work and how long does it take?
Making a situation exposure hierarchy involves means listing situations that you would normally avoid (Boyes, 2012). For example, someone with severe social anxiety may typically avoid making a phone call or asking someone on a date. It helps you or your client address the “Four P Factors” described just above—predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating, and protective factors. This formulation process can help you or your client connect the dots between core beliefs, thought patterns, and present behavior. This technique is specifically effective for those who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; Abramowitz, 1996). You can practice this technique by exposing yourself to whatever it is that normally elicits a compulsive behavior, but doing your best to refrain from the behavior.
Polarized thinking / Black-and-white thinking
In this post, we offered many techniques, tools, and resources that can be effective in the battle against depression, anxiety, OCD, and a host of other problems or difficulties. When you are feeling depressed or negative, it is difficult to recognize that there are positive aspects of life. This simple technique of bringing to mind the good parts of your day can be a small step in the direction of recognizing the positive (Anderson, 2014). If you are a therapist who uses mindfulness-based approaches, consider finding or pre-recording some short mindfulness meditation exercises for your clients.
Unraveling cognitive distortions
How CBT works
