Table of Contents
What are the main aims of a CBT?
CBT aims to help you deal with overwhelming problems in a more positive way by breaking them down into smaller parts. You’re shown how to change these negative patterns to improve the way you feel. Unlike some other talking treatments, CBT deals with your current problems, rather than focusing on issues from your past. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment that has been demonstrated to be effective for a range of problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, and severe mental illness. The potential efficacy of CBT is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Those who have maladaptive coping mechanisms that greatly impact their mental health are typically good candidates for CBT. However, individuals who experience mental health issues due to racism, classism, ableism, etc. may not find relief with CBT. 2. In some cases cognitive behavior therapy stresses the therapy technique over the relationship between therapist and patient. If you are an individual who is sensitive, emotional, and desires rapport with your therapist, CBT may not deliver in some cases.
Why is CBT so successful?
CBT is effective because it has the capacity to engage even the most serious problems. Therapists using CBT as a primary method for treating their clients report success with highly complex disorders like PTSD, specific phobias, generalized anxiety, social anxiety disorder, depressive disorder and many more. How Effective is CBT? Research shows that CBT is the most effective form of treatment for those coping with depression and anxiety. CBT alone is 50-75% effective for overcoming depression and anxiety after 5 – 15 modules. Anxiety and depression – CBT is one of the most effective treatments for conditions where the main problem is anxiety (eg. generalised anxiety disorder or panic disorder) or depression. Phobias and OCD – CBT is the most effective psychological treatment for phobias and OCD. Thus, while there is good evidence for the efficacy of CBT in children aged 8 and older (Kendall et al., 2004), there is presently only one empirically validated psychosocial treatment outcome study for anxious preschool and early school aged children (Monga et al., 2009). The main benefit of CBT is that it helps us gain control of our thoughts. Cognitive distortions are common and often happen automatically, without question. Over time, the process of questioning and replacing negative thoughts can transform our thought processes.