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CBT


CBT is a short term therapy that is particularly useful in treating specific problems such as depression, anxiety, phobias, panic attacks and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

CBT was created after research showed the important role a person’s thoughts play in determining their mood and behaviour.  Two types of therapies are combined in CBT:  Cognitive Therapy which looks at a person’s thinking patterns, and Behavioural Therapy which focuses on a person’s behavioural response to those thoughts.

Based on the belief that unhelpful thinking patterns are learnt over a long period of time, CBT helps individuals to identify and challenge these deconstructive thoughts with more positive alternative behaviours.

Unhelpful Thinking Styles

There are a number of unhelpful thinking styles that individuals may experience.

  • Arbitrary inference: A person can draw unrealistic conclusions from a situation.

For example:

The thought:  "There are so many reckless drivers in the world. If I travel in a car I am going to be killed".

The challenge: "How many times have you travelled in a car without being killed? How many people travel by car everyday without being killed?"

  • Selective Abstraction: Focusing attention on one detail without regard to the whole picture.

For example:

The thought: "I don't have use of my body the way I used to" or "How can I be a good father and husband?"

The challenge: “There are other aspects of fatherhood such as loving your family, being attentive to them, communicating with them and understanding them.”

  • Over Generalisation: Making a general conclusion from a limited event.

The thought: "I had a few disagreements at work, they all hate me".

The challenge: “Though you do not get along with everybody you are not hated by everyone.”

  • Magnification: Making things out to be worse than they are.

The thought: "My face is scarred. I'm ugly, no one will ever love me. I will be alone for the rest of my life".

The Challenge: “Facial scarring can challenge a person's identity.  However, in time the scarring may get better and it does not mean you are not lovable. What about other attractive characteristics you have?

  • Minimisation: under-evaluation of positive attributes.

The thought: "My son told me that he loved me, but I'm not as good a mother because I just don't have the energy".

The challenge: "You are neglecting that your son expressed love towards you, a sign that your mothering skills are fine in his eyes."

What Happens in Therapy

In CBT the client is expected to play an active role in their therapy. The client must help the therapist to identify their unhelpful thinking patterns because there is no one who knows the client better than themselves.

The Assessment:

During the assessment session the therapist will establish the clients' suitability for CBT treatment.

The first sessions:

The first few sessions will involve building a relationship between client and therapist, understanding CBT and what can be expected, and making sure the client is comfortable with the treatment.

Breaking down problems:

The therapist and client will then work together to break down each problem into separate parts. This may be done by asking the client to keep a diary to identify individual patterns of thought, feelings, emotions and responses.

Identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviours:

Together the client and patient then work out which thoughts, feelings and behaviours are unrealistic or unhelpful and how they affect each other.

Finding ways to change:

The therapist then assists the client in finding ways to change those thinking patterns to more positive ones.

Reinforcement:

To reinforce these positive thinking patterns, the therapist may start to give the client homework, which will often involve the client practicing the use of these more positive thinking patterns. When the client has an unhelpful thought they have to question their unhelpful thought and replace it with a positive one. The client must recognise when they are about to do something that will result in them feeling worse and then do something different.

Speed and Duration 

The treatment process is dependent on the client. The client can report back to the therapist on how each session is going. If something is too difficult the therapist will help find new skills and techniques to help. The pace of the treatment can also be slowed down or sped up according to the client.

The duration of CBT therapy varies depending on the case but on average Moving Minds’ clients have 9 sessions.