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De-clobbering Common Myths About Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Posted Jul 22 2010 1:33am

Several fallacies abound regarding Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Here are several myth-busters about this treatment approach.

Query: Is CBT downplaying the significance of the curative relationship?

Answer: On the contrary, a favourable curative relationship is vital to CBT.  A therapist would do several things for building up a deep association like working in collaboration with the client (deciding jointly on matters like the manner of spending the treatment session), asking feedbacks or asking the patient how things could be done in a different manner during the next session. The therapist would be conducting himself/herself in an authentic, warm, compassionate, keen and considerate manner. A therapist would endeavour at reducing the patient’s agony as swiftly as doable. Surprisingly, studies have shown that the association between the therapist and patient would appreciably strengthen when the client perceives that his/her therapist is of assistance, which means that the client sees himself/herself solving his/her issues and feel better.

Query: Is client motivation necessary for CBT?

Cognitive Behavior TherapyAnswer: Several clients are apathetic when they initially seek treatment. An indispensable part of CBT is assisting the client in setting goals he/she wants to achieve that mostly bolsters motivational levels. A therapist would adopt a gentle querying approach during client sessions for discovering if the issue is because of a practical worry (for instance, the treatment is quite costly), or the client’s thought process that other people are blameworthy and he/she does not need therapy or the therapist making a mistake (for instance, has excessively interrupted the client). Several therapists also find it beneficial to have the client jot down what he/she sees as benefits and downsides of seeking the therapy and the benefits-drawbacks of not seeking therapy.

Query: How does one discern whether the therapist has in fact practiced CBT?

Answer: One could gather additional information from the site www.beckinstitue.org to gain a deeper understanding about CBT or check out the site of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy for locating authorized therapists. Regrettably, several individuals are self-proclaimed CBT therapists when actually they have failed to employ even the basic principles of this form of therapy. Several of these therapists fail in setting and discussing agendas, sending a client home along with (to-do or to-remember things for the subsequent weeks) notes and asking for feedbacks during each session.

Query: Is it factual that CBT is basically a superficial treatment and does not assist a client in gaining insight?

Answer: A client needs to gain a proper understanding of himself/herself to be able to have any form of improvement from CBT. A client needs to identify the reason for him/her feeling distressed or acting in an unconstructive manner (that is converse to their objectives). The resolutions are associated to what they are pondering at that instant. But being able to gain that insight is necessary but not sufficient. The client needs to discern what is to be done with that insight at that time for improving their quality of existence.

The subsequent approach is assisting the client in evaluating their thought process that would allow him/her in appraising scenarios and issues in a more realistic manner. When a client is able to do that, he/she would then be able to act in a functional manner and moving in the direction of their objectives in life.

A client would also need to assess and alter his/her unconstructive and non-realistic convictions. A therapist would frequently be working at deep levels, for e.g., a client’s objectives are linked to locating greater meaning from life, existing in accordance to his/her adhered value-sets or to come to terms or accept unchangeable issues.

A client suffering from depression following a successful treatment with CBT experiences half the recurrence rate as compared to individuals undergoing treatment with just drugs.

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