Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in contrast to many other therapeutic frameworks has both an explicit rationale and an empirically demonstrable success rate. In addition to the wealth of published case histories there are a plethora of controlled studies attesting to the efficacy of CBT interventions with an equally diverse range of psychological and behavioral conditions. (Emmelkamp et al 1992).
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that aims to help a person manage their problems by changing how they think and act. It is a problem solving approach which recognizes that clients have a behavioral difficulty rather than that they are a behavioral problem. It encourages them to talk about how they think in relation to themselves, the world, other people and how what they do affects their thoughts and feelings. CBT can help to change how a person thinks (‘cognitive’) and what they do (‘behavior’), thus helping them to manage difficulties and feel better about life. Unlike most psychotherapies which only work with talk and reflections, CBT regards behavioral acts as primary. Treatment involves clients engaging in personal behavioral experiments, ‘practice makes perfect.’ For many behaviorally based problems such as phobias obsessive compulsive disorder bulimia and the like there simply is no substitute for this way of working. Direct behavioral experience is often the most effective medium for articulating change. Action, that is, sometimes speaks far louder than words.
To benefit fully from CBT, clients need to be committed to the process, maintain any homework agreed such as keeping a diary or undertaking experiments/challenges jointly agreed and/or decided upon between client and counsellor. It can help the client make sense of overwhelming problems by breaking them down into smaller parts. The outcomes of homework are
References: Emmelkamp, P.M.G., Bonman, T.K. & Scholing, A. (1992). Anxiety Disorders: A Practitioner Guide. Chichester: Wiley. Egan, G. (1994). The Skilled Helper, 5th edition. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Mearns, D. (1994). Developing Person-Centred Counselling. London Sage. Schon, D.A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. New York: Basic Books. Beck, J. (1995) Cognitive therapy: Basics and beyond New York: Guilford press Margaret Hough 2nd edition (2002) A Practical Approach to Counselling Pearson Education Limited Harlow Essex Beck A.T. (1967) The Depression Inventory, The Psychological Corporation. Michele Baldwin, PhD Editor The Use of Self in Therapy 2nd Ed (2000) The Hawthorne Press Inc Binghamton NY