WHY I USE COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Sydney Ceruto, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

CBT comprises a large part of my practice and its’ implementation and success in treating many personality disorders is rapidly growing.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, which is commonly used to treat disorders like depression, phobias, anxiety, and addiction, is a form of psychotherapeutic treatment that focuses on changing negative behavior by altering the influential thoughts and feelings an individual has. In CBT, it is believed that thoughts and feelings actually influence and reinforce the behavior of a person.
An example I come across quite frequently is if a person is constantly thinking about car accidents, this will influence his or her behavior and he or she may avoid ever getting into a car or driving. If someone thinks negatively about their self-image and abilities, he or she will have a low self-esteem and, as a result, he or she may avoid social situations or miss out on opportunities.
By changing the thought patterns of my clients, their behaviors will also change. Cognitive behavior therapy focuses on helping people with a very specific problem that he or she is suffering from; and for this reason, it is often a short term process.
When treating an individual with CBT, the person will begin to learn that while he or she may not be able to control everything that goes on he or she does on the outside world, he or she does have the ability to control how to approach and interpret things happening in his or her own environment.
CBT therapy can be broken down into two stages. The first stage is known as functional analysis. During this stage, I help the individual which of his or her beliefs are problematic. It is at this time that I understand what situations, feelings or thoughts contribute to the individual’s maladaptive behavior. While this time may be difficult for my patient, the resulting insight and self discovery is crucial to the process.
The second stage of CBT is dedicated to the specific behaviors. During this stage, an individual will begin to learn and rehearse new skills that he or she can apply to the real world. This is usually a gradual process where an individual progressively works toward his or her goal. As I introduce each new step, the main goal will seem less daunting and more
achievable.