Why Cbt Should Be Structured
As was mentioned in the first response, one of the characteristics of cognitive behavioral approach is that therapy should be clearly structured. I will describe how a CBT session should be structured.
First, the therapist and the client must work together to outline the therapy goals, and the change goals must be valuable for the patient, he/she must be sure that the effort, time, and money, will be worth it. All this means that the patient must be motivated, that is the first step!
In a Cognitive/Cognitive behavioral therapy session, first the patient has to know what to expect, and the patient previously should have agreed to the goals of the therapy. The therapist should check the mood before starting with the session, as well as figure
out how to spend the time by setting the agenda. For example in a structured session the therapist may have some tests to asses personality, this also may include an informed consent which legally allows the therapist to perform the test and evaluate results. The therapist can make an introduction about the test as well as have a semi-structured interview for the end that can help complement the information collected in the test (not too long because the patient may be tired). The therapist should not give details of the results of the test right away but should thank the patient for the time and effort.
The task is always an important factor in the development of cognitive behavioral therapy, so most sessions are going to be accompanied by a task, which will help complement what is worked on during the session.
First, the therapist and the client must work together to outline the therapy goals, and the change goals must be valuable for the patient, he/she must be sure that the effort, time, and money, will be worth it. All this means that the patient must be motivated, that is the first step!
In a Cognitive/Cognitive behavioral therapy session, first the patient has to know what to expect, and the patient previously should have agreed to the goals of the therapy. The therapist should check the mood before starting with the session, as well as figure
out how to spend the time by setting the agenda. For example in a structured session the therapist may have some tests to asses personality, this also may include an informed consent which legally allows the therapist to perform the test and evaluate results. The therapist can make an introduction about the test as well as have a semi-structured interview for the end that can help complement the information collected in the test (not too long because the patient may be tired). The therapist should not give details of the results of the test right away but should thank the patient for the time and effort.
The task is always an important factor in the development of cognitive behavioral therapy, so most sessions are going to be accompanied by a task, which will help complement what is worked on during the session.