Thursday, March 24, 2016

Basics Relating To Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

By Thomas Graham


Psychotherapy forms an important component of management for many physical and mental illness. In most cases it is offered alongside other forms of treatments (such as pharmacotherapy). Cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT, is available in New Jersey and involves attending talk sessions with a trained therapist with the aim of identifying possible causes of an illness and working on their solutions. The conditions for which it has been found to be most effective include eating disorders, depression and anxiety disorders among others.

Typically, clients are required to attend therapy sessions one every week or every fortnight. Each session usually lasts between 30 minutes and one hour. Depending on the nature of the illness, a total of 5 to 20 sessions are needed. Your therapist will help you classify your problems into three broad categories namely: thoughts, feelings and actions. The analysis of these three areas will help identify the causes of the problem and how best it can be rectified by changing inappropriate thoughts and behaviors.

To be effective, the treatment needs to be approached as a partnership. Clients who actively participate in the sessions have better outcomes than those who do not. The client and the therapist should strive to agree on the major issues regarding their illness and its treatment. Goals should be set by the two and regular assessment done to determine progress.

It is important to bear in mind that results are not immediate. Many patients may even feel worse as they open up part of their emotional lives especially during the first few sessions. Sticking to the treatment plan whether one feels motivated or not is central to the success of treatment. Share these struggles with the therapist so that they can assist you devise ways of tolerating the challenges.

CBT is effective for conditions that affect individual clients as well as groups. Couples and family therapy are examples of treatments that have greatly benefited from the therapy. Other forms of groups may similarly benefit as long as they have similar problems. One of the main advantages of offering the therapy to a group is the fact that group members tend to share their experiences and coping skills.

Honesty is an important attribute for persons that hope to benefit from this form of treatment. They should be ready to open up about their thoughts, feelings and experiences. In the event that they feel that sharing some of the events in their past or present life may be embarrassing or painful, they should feel free to communicate this information to their therapist. The therapist is required to maintain confidentiality except in very rare circumstances.

Even after successful therapy, symptoms may recur. Re-enrolling for CBT sessions and practicing the skills that have been acquired in the past are helpful if such is the case. Other forms of treatment may also be incorporated into the treatment plan to optimize on the results that are obtained through CBT. Such include the use of medications and other forms of talk treatments.

The decision to seek CBT may be made by your primary doctor or by yourself. Regardless of the case, you should ensure that the therapist is qualified (has the right education and licensing). Find out the costs involved in advance and whether or not this is part of your health cover. This will help you avoid dropping out of treatment due to financial constraints.




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