What is CBT?
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a research-based approach that emphasizes the important
role of thinking; that is, in how our thoughts influence and often control how we feel and what we do.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the concept that our thoughts precede our feelings and behaviors - not external things such as people, situations, or events. If we have dysfunctional or distorted thoughts then we will have very negative feelings and behaviors that do not serve us well. The great advantage of this approach is that as we learn to change the way we think, we begin to feel and behave better even if the situation around us does not change.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is considered one of the most efficient and successful forms of
psychotherapy. Typically, the average number of sessions that a patient receives is about 16, although
this may vary depending on the patient and the issues involved. Other forms of therapy, such as psychoanalysis, can take years to complete and are usually not nearly as effective. CBT is briefer because it tends to be highly instructive, collaborative, and makes use of homework assignments. CBT is time-limited and patients learn at the very beginning of the therapy process that there is a point when formal therapy will end. The ending of therapy is a decision made collaboratively by the therapist and patient. CBT therapists believe that patients change because they learn how to think differently and, subsequently, they will then act on this new learning. Therefore, CBT therapists focus on teaching rational and realistic self-counseling skills. The therapist's role is to listen, teach, and encourage, while the patient's role is to express concerns, learn, and implement that learning.
Cognitive behavioral therapists want to gain a very good understanding of their patients' concerns. That is why they often ask questions. The patient is also encouraged to ask questions themselves. Cognitive behavioral therapists have a specific agenda for each session. Specific techniques and concepts are taught during each session, but the focus is always on the patients's treatment goals which are, again, established collaboratively by the patient and the therapist. The therapist is directive in the sense that he teaches the patient how to think and behave in more rational and realistic ways that will help the patient achieve his or her treatments goals. Therefore, CBT therapists do not tell their patients "what to do", rather they teach their clients "how to do".
CBT is based on the scientifically supported assumption that most emotional and behavioral reactions
are learned. Therefore, the goal of therapy is to help patients unlearn their unwanted reactions and to
learn new ways of responding. The educational emphasis of CBT has an additional benefit in that it
leads to long term results. When people understand how and why they are doing well, they know what to do in order to continue doing well. A central aspect of rational thinking is that it is based on facts, or evidence. Often we upset ourselves about things when, in fact, the situation isn't what we first perceived it to be at all. As we learn to recognize this fact, we will not waste our time letting ourselves be upset and unhappy.
Cognitive behavior therapy empowers patients, or rather teaches patients how to empower themselves, by recognizing and discarding old dysfunctional thinking patterns and replacing them with new ways to view themselves and those around them in a more rational and realistic manner.
role of thinking; that is, in how our thoughts influence and often control how we feel and what we do.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the concept that our thoughts precede our feelings and behaviors - not external things such as people, situations, or events. If we have dysfunctional or distorted thoughts then we will have very negative feelings and behaviors that do not serve us well. The great advantage of this approach is that as we learn to change the way we think, we begin to feel and behave better even if the situation around us does not change.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is considered one of the most efficient and successful forms of
psychotherapy. Typically, the average number of sessions that a patient receives is about 16, although
this may vary depending on the patient and the issues involved. Other forms of therapy, such as psychoanalysis, can take years to complete and are usually not nearly as effective. CBT is briefer because it tends to be highly instructive, collaborative, and makes use of homework assignments. CBT is time-limited and patients learn at the very beginning of the therapy process that there is a point when formal therapy will end. The ending of therapy is a decision made collaboratively by the therapist and patient. CBT therapists believe that patients change because they learn how to think differently and, subsequently, they will then act on this new learning. Therefore, CBT therapists focus on teaching rational and realistic self-counseling skills. The therapist's role is to listen, teach, and encourage, while the patient's role is to express concerns, learn, and implement that learning.
Cognitive behavioral therapists want to gain a very good understanding of their patients' concerns. That is why they often ask questions. The patient is also encouraged to ask questions themselves. Cognitive behavioral therapists have a specific agenda for each session. Specific techniques and concepts are taught during each session, but the focus is always on the patients's treatment goals which are, again, established collaboratively by the patient and the therapist. The therapist is directive in the sense that he teaches the patient how to think and behave in more rational and realistic ways that will help the patient achieve his or her treatments goals. Therefore, CBT therapists do not tell their patients "what to do", rather they teach their clients "how to do".
CBT is based on the scientifically supported assumption that most emotional and behavioral reactions
are learned. Therefore, the goal of therapy is to help patients unlearn their unwanted reactions and to
learn new ways of responding. The educational emphasis of CBT has an additional benefit in that it
leads to long term results. When people understand how and why they are doing well, they know what to do in order to continue doing well. A central aspect of rational thinking is that it is based on facts, or evidence. Often we upset ourselves about things when, in fact, the situation isn't what we first perceived it to be at all. As we learn to recognize this fact, we will not waste our time letting ourselves be upset and unhappy.
Cognitive behavior therapy empowers patients, or rather teaches patients how to empower themselves, by recognizing and discarding old dysfunctional thinking patterns and replacing them with new ways to view themselves and those around them in a more rational and realistic manner.