man in therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – How It Accomplishes Positive Results in Less Time

man in therapy

Psychotherapy involves a variety of methods that aim to improve the mental and emotional health of patients. Therapy has, of course, evolved over time. One of the most notable forms is cognitive behavioral therapy, also known as CBT. CBT is a highly effective form of therapy, .

What makes CBT unique and useful at the same time is the way that it addresses mental and emotional issues. CBT’s methods focus on finding positive and active solutions to the issues and challenges that one may face. It seeks to modify negative thoughts and harmful behavior. In fact, therapy sessions focus on seeking out and changing mindsets and thoughts that can do a person harm.

CBT has also become more popular as it tends to accomplish more in a shorter time frame. This is likely one of the reasons why many therapists use this method in helping patients address their issues, and why many clients have been quite satisfied with the results.

The Many Purposes & Results of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy can address a variety of issues. The main goal of this method is to seek out and modify negative thoughts and behavior. Some of these include the following:

  • Self-destructive behavior: Some people perform actions that are detrimental to mental health, physical health, or both. CBT aims to help people effectively address these behaviors.
  • Constant negative thoughts: Some people are unwillingly subjected to a barrage of negative thoughts. CBT can help them by addressing these thoughts and identifying their source.
  • Negative self-image: People who have a negative self-image or people with very low self-esteem can improve from CBT.

woman in therapyMany studies also show that CBT can be help treat different mental and emotional disorders.  Studies even show that CBT works in conjunction with traditional medications used for addressing issues. Some of the disorders and conditions that CBT can be used are the following:

  • PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder is a severe illness caused by severe psychological trauma. It is most usually caused by frightening or particularly scarring experiences. The methods that CBT uses can address how these fears manifest in the present.
  • Depression: Depression is one of the most common disorders that people today face. CBT aims to modify the thoughts that depression is associated with.
  • OCD: Obsessive-compulsive disorder causes a patient to uncontrollably follow patterns. These patterns can manifest in their thoughts or in how they act. For example, some patients obsessively subscribe to certain thoughts or are compelled to do certain things. How CBT helps is by finding these thoughts and developing solutions to modify these behaviors.
  • Phobias: Phobias are irrational fears that some people have. There are many types of phobias. These can range from an irrational fear of ducks to more valid ones like fear of high altitudes. No matter what phobias a person may have, however, CBT can be used to address them.
  • Panic attacks and anxiety disorder: Some tend to experience panic, unease, and fear when exposed to specific triggers. CBT aims to address the thoughts and emotional triggers that are capable of causing these episodes.

 

A vast majority of these issues involve negative behaviors and thoughts. Cognitive behavioral therapy’s methods of directly tackling the negativity make it seem specially designed to address disorders. It may seem so, seeing how effective it is in alleviating the symptoms.

What cognitive behavioral therapy involves

Cognitive behavioral therapy involves following steps in order to improve the condition of the patient. These steps seek to identify and modify negativity on the part of the patient. The steps involved in CBT are the following:

  • patient sits with therapist talkingIdentification: This step aims to identify the source of negativity in a person’s life.
  • Awareness: After the source of negativity has been identified, awareness needs to follow. The patient needs to be aware of how the source is negatively affecting the different aspects of life.
  • Identifying responses: This further helps in attempting to fix the problem at hand. Therapists usually try to identify the responses of the patient to stressors and the sources of negativity.
  • Fixing said behavior: This involves allowing the patient to find and change the negative thoughts and behavior associated with the problem.
  • Moving forward: CBT does not only seek to solve the problem at hand. It also involves equipping the patient with tools to help with any future issues.

 

These steps all aim to address past, present, and potential issues. These steps are the reason why CBT is an excellent choice for psychotherapy.

6 Reasons Why Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Accomplishes Results in Less Time

CBT involves methods that focus on getting results in a shorter amount of time. It’s the reason why a typical therapy cycle is shorter compared to other forms of psychotherapy. Here are some of the reasons why CBT accomplishes remarkable results in less time.

1.       CBT is relatively risk-free.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is relatively risk-free. The methods that CBT uses are non-invasive and do not at all cause physical harm to the patient. Seeking out and modifying negative thoughts poses no threat, especially if they are properly addressed. The way CBT addresses these thoughts and behaviors is safe and effective. Since the methods are risk-free, they also help recovery to come more quickly.

Temporary stress is indeed a possibility with CTB. Some of the things that a patient may be forced to relive can be traumatizing. These involve phobias, significant events, anxieties, fears, and more. The same can be said, however, of the other forms of psychotherapy.

Addressing negativity, fear, and anxiety can cause some level of distress on the patient. This is especially true if there is significant emotional scarring involved. However, these methods do not leave the issues half-addressed. Solutions often follow afterward.

2.       CBT is hands-on, and it addresses problems more directly.

therapist talks with patientCBT is more hands-on in terms of methods compared to the other forms of psychotherapy available. It encourages patients to be more active in seeking positivity and reinforces forward-thinking.  It actively finds positive solutions to problems and aims to remove the negative ones. It also involves the reshaping of thought processes and ingrained behaviors that can potentially harm the patient. All of these contribute to the patient’s well-being.

CBT gets more results in less time as a result. It does not wait around for results and instead actively seeks out negativity for it to be reshaped.

3.       CBT reinforces positivity.

CBT reinforces positive thinking in patients. The methods involve the removal of negative thoughts and replacing them with ones that promote health and positivity. In the short term, it helps patients have a better way of seeing things. In the long run, however, it leads to the patient becoming better-trained in avoiding negativity and other triggers.

4.       CBT focuses on improving the patient’s outlook.

Other forms of psychotherapy look at the patient’s history to solve problems. CBT is also capable of doing the same thing. However, it also focuses on improving the patient’s outlook and thought process at the same time. CBT seeks to make patients more aware of what can potentially trigger them. Patients become more proactive in dealing with these issues. These methods are capable of quickly producing positive change in the patients. The patients themselves become an active part of the solution.

5.       CBT seeks to give the patient self-awareness

Self-awareness is one of the many good things that patients get through cognitive behavioral therapy. It involves becoming more in touch with one’s own emotions, motivations, stressors, and other characteristics. Having more self-awareness leads to a better understanding of what makes one function and what can potentially cause harm. It can help the patient deal with problems properly.

therapist and patientGaining self-awareness is a process. It can come during treatment, which is why CBT can also accomplish more results in a fraction of the time.

6.       CBT equips the patient with skills to deal with future issues

Finally, CBT is capable of arming patients with the skills necessary to deal with any potential problems ahead. Some of the skills and characteristics that can help include the following:

  • A more positive mindset and outlook on life
  • Awareness of stressors
  • Awareness on how to deal with problems
  • Knowing what things to avoid
  • Knowing the proper way of thinking to reduce stress

 

All of these skills can potentially prevent any other issues from occurring. It can save the patient a lot of time and resources.

We Have Many Highly Trained Counsellors Practicing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Capital Choice Counselling has been offering services in the Ottawa area since 2006. Our highly experienced counselors can provide CBT, amongst other specializations.

Other services available at our center include career counseling, couple’s therapy, counseling for disorders, family therapy, and many more. If you want to learn more about our other services, read more here and get in touch with one of counsellors who are highly trained and skilled with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.