A Brief Introduction to Psychotherapy and CBT

Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT is a type of psychological therapy that in some cases could be potentially helpful for certain issues or disorders, such as anxiety, depression, marital problems, addiction, or even eating disorders. CBT is a form of talk therapy that can aid certain individuals by leading them over time to change thinking patterns and thus also unwanted behaviors. Cumulative research suggests CBT is highly beneficial for the aforementioned conditions, however, it should be noted that every individual is a unique world and thus this type of therapy might not be suitable for everyone, meaning that for those for that CBT does not help, a different kind of therapy should be then considered.

 

CBT could be said to commonly be the first therapeutic choice because it aids in identifying core problematic thoughts or behavioral patterns and it generally requires fewer sessions than other types of therapies. This being said, it could be useful to utilize CBT at the beginning of therapy with clients to first identify problematic thoughts and behaviors and then follow a different sort of therapy to treat those in case CBT would not be beneficial for the client. Concerning the conditions CBT can cover it could be useful to mention how this kind of therapy seems helpful in aiding with finding and resolving relationships conflict of any sort, identifying different techniques to manage emotions, and improving communications skills by for instance becoming more assertive, overcoming emotional or physical trauma or abuse, and/or coping with a medical illness.

During the sessions, a client might feel uncomfortable, angry, sad, or in another sort of emotional state because it is not easy to emotionally re-experience an upsetting or traumatic event. Furthermore, the client might cry during a certain session which is natural and okay, since there is nothing wrong with crying because it is just another emotion just like happiness and smiling. On the other hand, it could also happen that the client might feel highly upset thus leading the patient to think about quitting therapy and feeling like there is no improvement. Fortunately, this might happen only at times and not during every session, it is crucial to bear in mind that recovery or improvement takes a significant amount of time, just like your body did not evolve from being a toddler into an adult in one year, so do habits, thoughts or behaviors. Furthermore, it is assumed that after a period of sessions the client might feel improvement over the issue concerned and this might also be due to the rapport that is built with the therapist, meaning that there is a therapeutic alliance built which is highly crucial to see improvements over time. It is also normal to sometimes feel drained after a therapeutic session, mental activity is just as important as physical activity.

Finally, during each session, you might feel encouraged to share how you are feeling in each session, your thoughts, or any issue that has occurred or is occurring in your life. Feel free to share anything with your therapist and remember that there is therapeutic confidentiality, meaning that what is said in the therapeutic session cannot get out of that therapeutic session. Additionally, the therapist is there to aid you toward improvement. To prepare for each session make sure you have a list of bullet points with the most important concerns you might have. Thus you might be able to work efficiently with your therapist toward aiming at your goal.

By Marta Padron Pena, Mental Health Intern

References

Cognitive behavioral therapy – Mayo Clinic. (2019, March 16). https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610 

The National Health Service. (n.d.). Overview – Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). NHS.https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/overview/#:~:text=Cognitive%20behavioural%20therapy%20(CBT)%20is,mental%20and%20physical%20health%20problems 

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? (2017, July 31). https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral