Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Improve Your Quality of Life

We all face challenging problems and situations at times in our lives, and many of us lack the coping skills needed to help us through these times. Psychotherapy, which is also commonly referred to as “talk therapy,” “therapy,” or “counseling,” is a form of treatment that focuses on helping people deal with difficulties that arise.

One of the most commonly recommended types of therapy is called “cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).” You may wonder how CBT or any type of therapy can help; after all, if your child has an alcohol or drug addiction, your spouse decides he or she wants a divorce, or you are suffering from chronic pain, therapy can’t change those things. What CBT can do is help you learn to look at things differently and make choices that will improve your quality of life.

What is CBT?

“CBT is an active, time-limited, structured approach that is helpful for a variety of emotional and medical disorders. CBT is the fastest growing and most rigorously studied form of psychotherapy around the world,” explains Susan Evans, PhD, professor of psychology in clinical psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine. “CBT is based on the central principle that thoughts have a profound effect on our mood and behavior and that changes in mood and behavior can be produced through changes in thinking.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO

To find a qualified, licensed therapist, try these resources:

  • The Academy of Cognitive Therapy is a credentialing body for cognitive behavioral therapists. A link for referrals can be accessed at academyofct.org.
  • The Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy has a link to CBT therapists at their website, abct.org.
  • If you are comfortable speaking to your doctor about your interest in therapy, ask him or her to recommend some therapists in
    your area.

CBT primarily focuses on the “here and now.” A typical course of CBT lasts from 12 to 24 sessions. The patient learns skills in each session and then practices the skills as “homework” between sessions. The patient and therapist set specific goals to work toward.

How CBT Can Help

CBT has been widely studied and been found to be highly effective for a wide range of emotional and medical conditions. For example, CBT can produce significant improvements in mood and function in patients with depression and anxiety.

Patients coping with a medical illness can also benefit from CBT because it can help to alleviate pain and suffering.

“For example, CBT is widely used with patients who have cancer, neurological disorders, gastrointestinal problems, and pain. Patients suffering from a physical illness benefit because they may experience a reduction of distress related to recognizing errors in their thinking, including exaggerating the sense of threat and anticipating negative and even catastrophic outcomes. For example, someone experiencing pain may be thinking “This is the end of me,” “This may not go away,” or “I can’t function like this.” In CBT, this patient will learn to correct what may be an overgeneralization (“I can’t function like this”) in their thinking and parse out what is realistic (“Even though I have pain, I can do some things”).

Patients with chronic pain may also develop coping skills to better manage their pain. Behavioral coping strategies may include relaxation and breathing techniques. Learning and practicing skills to manage the suffering related to pain can also give the patient a sense of increased self-efficacy (“I can do something to alleviate my suffering”).

What’s Unique About CBT

What differentiates CBT from other types of therapy is that it is based on the “Cognitive Model”—the idea that mood and behavior are largely determined by the way people perceive situations. Other types of therapy, such as insight therapy or psychodynamic therapy, focus on exploring the patient’s beliefs, emotions, and past experiences, often from his or her childhood, in order to help the patient access his or her unconscious feelings and thoughts. Long-term psychodynamic therapy may go on for a period of two or more years.

Dr. Evans notes these key aspects of CBT:

  • It is time limited
  • It involves collaboration between the therapist and patient, with active participation
  • It is goal-oriented and problem-focused
  • It teaches patients to identify, evaluate, and respond to dysfunctional, negative thoughts
  • It uses a variety of methods to change thinking, mood, and behavior.

There are no “rules” that dictate who can benefit from therapy, but it’s worth exploring if you frequently feel depressed, anxious, frustrated, or
dissatisfied with your life.

 

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