Cognitive Behavior

Cognitive Behavior:

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a type of psycho-therapeutic treatment that helps patients understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors. It’s a pragmatic, action-oriented treatment approach that has become a widely used psychotherapy for major mental disorders. CBT is commonly used to treat a wide range of disorders, including phobias, addiction, depression and anxiety.

Key Figures:

Albert Ellis 

(1913 – 2007)

Aaron. T. Beck 

(1921 - current)

Methods & Approaches:

• Socratic Method
• Inductive Method
• Rational Emotive Therapy
• Cognitive Therapy
• Multi-modal Therapy

Key Concepts:

• Behavioral interventions

• Activity scheduling

• Graded task assignments

• Exposure and response prevention

• Desensitization of physiological symptoms

• Efforts to improve coping

• To minimize self defeating attitudes

• Acquire a realistic outlook on life

• Teach client to think more "rationally"

• Examine outcomes. Are they really catastrophic?

• Homework to deal with specific fears

• Role playing

• Humor and modeling

• focus on cognitive and behavioral dimensions

• Client learn constructive "self-statements", "self-talk"

• Client learn new coping skills - practice in and out of sessions (Wright, 2006)

General procedures:

• A collaborative relationship is established

• Clinician and patient work together as a team

• Help patients effectively define problems

• Gain skills in managing these problems

• Uses of illustrations

• Readings and other educational aids 

References:

Corey, G. (2009), Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (eighth edition). Belmont, Ca: Thomas Higher Education.
 

Jesse H. Wright, M.D., Ph.D., (2006), Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basic Principles and Recent Advances: Retrieved on June 10^th from http://focus.psychiatryonline.org