COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Cognitive behavioural therapy is the most widely based research therapy. It is a type of psychotherapy that incorporates behavioural and cognitive therapies. CBT helps people become conscious of their distorted patterns of thought (cognitive element) and challenges them, changing their way of thinking and feeling. The behavioural dimension explores the relationship between our emotions and behaviours.
Our emotions directly dictate our feelings and behaviours. Negative thoughts also produce negative feelings that can lead us to participate in unhelpful and self-defeating behaviours. The objective of CBT is change negative thoughts into more positive ones as to increase wellbeing and lead to better life outcomes.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT DOES COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE?
Cognitive behavioural therapy varies from other forms of psychotherapy in a key number of ways:
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1. It is practical: CBT looks at particular problems and encourages the client to make improvements in their thought processes and actions through exploration/homework.
2. Sessions are structured: Instead of thinking about your life openly, you and the therapist can decide on a common issue and set goals to achieve.
3. CBT focuses primarily on present issues: Instead of trying to discuss and overcome past events, CBT focuses primarily on how you currently think and behave.
4. CBT is a collaborative therapy: You are collaborating with your therapist to find solutions to overcome the current problems. Your therapist does not tell you what to do.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Engaging in cognitive behavoural therapy, you will meet with a therapist for approximately 12-20 weeks (however, treatment can be extended if the client wants more sessions). These weekly sessions last for an hour. At the intake session, the therapist will be assessing if cognitive behavioural therapy is suitable to meet your needs best. Once agreed that this therapy is a good fit for you, the therapist will begin to break each problem down into smaller/separate parts.
You may be asked by your therapist to complete a weekly diary to help define
personal patterns of thoughts, emotions, body feelings and behavior to aid with this process. The journal is a resource to help you define your emotions, feelings, and habits with your therapist. The therapist will use this information to figure out if these thoughts are unhelpful and how they affect you. Working together, you will identify what needs to be changed; here your therapist will introduce practical exercises along with homework to assist the changing process outside the sessions.
Exercises and homework may include:
·Questioning unsettling thoughts and replacing them with more helpful ones
·Recognising when you are taking actions that will make you feel worse, and instead of doing something more beneficial.
·It is crucial to remember that the therapist cannot force you to do things that you do not want to. You determine the pace of your treatment.
EXPECTED BENEFITS OF THIS THERAPY
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy can lead to a range of benefits, including the following:
Identifying negative thoughts and emotions
Preventing addiction relapse
Managing anger
Coping with grief and loss
Managing chronic pain
Overcoming trauma and dealing with PTSD
Overcoming sleep disorders
Improving self-confidence
Resolving relationship difficulties (Source: WebMD)
WHAT ARE THE FEES?
One hour sessions range from 80-100 euros.