Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

February 10, 2022

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Thinking about your thinking

Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you become aware of inaccurate, irrational or negative thinking so you can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way.

CBT is a useful tool to address emotional challenges. For example, it may help you:

• Manage symptoms of a mental illness
• Prevent a relapse of mental illness symptoms
• Treat a mental illness when medications aren’t a good option
• Learn techniques for coping with stressful life situations
• Identify ways to manage emotions
• Resolve relationship conflicts and learn better ways to communicate
• Cope with grief or loss
• Overcome emotional trauma related to abuse or violence
• Cope with a medical illness
• Manage chronic physical symptoms

CBT typically includes these steps:

• Identify troubling situations or conditions in your life
• Become aware of your thoughts, emotions and beliefs about these problems
• Identify negative or inaccurate thinking.
• Reshape negative or inaccurate thinking

CBT isn’t effective for everyone. However, you can take steps to get the most out of your therapy and help make it a success.

• Approach therapy as a partnership
• Be open and honest
• Stick to your treatment plan
• Don’t expect instant results
• Do your in between session homework
• If it isn’t helping, talk to your therapist

Permalink