1
COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY (CBT)
Cognitive therapists believe that distorted thinking causes distorted behavior and that correcting
the distorted thinking will alleviate and even cure the distorted behavior. Behavior therapists in
contrast view disordered behavior as learned from past experience and they attempt to alleviate
the disorders by training the patients to use new and more adaptive behavoiurs.
These two positions are not incompatible and many therapists try both to correct distorted
cognitions and to train patients to engage in new behaviours. When therapists combine both
techniques, it is called cognitive behavioral therapy.
Therefore, cognitive behavior therapy is a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapies
approach which helps people change negative thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviors so they
can manage symptoms and enjoy more productive, less stressful lives.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was developed by Aaron T. Beck, Albert Ellis, among
others.
Cognitive behavior therapy is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps patients
understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors.
Traditional behaviour therapy focuses mainly on changing observable behaviours by means of
providing different or rewarding consequences. The cognitive behaviour therapy broadens
behaviour therapy to incorporate the contribution of how people think to creating, sustaining and
changing their problems.
The cognitive behaviour therapy broadens behaviour therapy to incorporate the contribution of
how people think to creating, sustaining and changing their problems.
In cognitive behaviour approaches, therapists assess clients and then intervene to help them to
change specific ways of thinking and behaving that sustain their problems.
CBT is commonly used to treat a wide range of disorders including phobias, addictions,
depression, and anxiety.
Cognitive behavior therapy is generally short term and focused on helping clients deal
with a very specific problem.
During the course of treatment, people learn how to identify and change destructive or
disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on behavior.
Most cognitive behavioral therapies have the following characteristics:
CBT is based on the Cognitive Model of Emotional Response.
1
, 2
CBT is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external
things, like people, situations, and events.
The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think to feel/act better even if the
situation does not change.
CBT is shorter and time-limited . It is considered among the most rapid in terms of results
obtained.
The average number of sessions clients receive (across all types of problems and approaches
to CBT) is only 16.
Other forms of therapy, like psychoanalysis, can take years. What enable CBT to be
briefer are its highly instructive nature and the fact that it makes use of homework
assignments. CBT is time limited in that we help clients understand at the very beginning of
the therapy process that there will be a point when the formal therapy will end.
The ending of the formal therapy is a decision made by the therapist and client. Therefore,
CBT is not an open ended, never ending process.
A sound therapeutic relationship is necessary for effective therapy, but not the focus. Some
forms of therapy assume that the main reason people get better in therapy is because of
the positive relationship between the therapist and client.
Cognitive behavioral therapists believe it is important to have a good, trusting relationship, but
that is not enough.
CBT therapists believe that the clients change because they learn how to think differently and
they act on that learning.
Therefore, CBT therapists focus on teaching rational self-counseling skills. CBT is a
collaborative effort between the therapist and the client.
Cognitive behavioral therapists seek to learn what their clients want out of life (their goals) and
then help their clients achieve those goals. The therapist’s role is to listen, teach, and encourage,
while the client’s roles is to express concerns, learn, and implement that learning.
CBT is based on aspects of stoic philosophy. Not all approaches to CBT emphasize stoicism.
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Rational Behavior Therapy, and Rational Living Therapy
emphasize aspects of stoicism. Beck’s Cognitive Therapy is not based on stoicism.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy does not tell people how they should feel. However, most people
seeking therapy do not want to feel they way they have been feeling. The approaches that
emphasize stoicism teach the benefits of feeling, at worst, calm when confronted with
undesirable situations. They also emphasize the fact that we have our undesirable situations
whether we are upset about them or not. If we are upset about our problems, we have two
problems the problem, and our upset about it. Most people want to have the fewest number
2
COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY (CBT)
Cognitive therapists believe that distorted thinking causes distorted behavior and that correcting
the distorted thinking will alleviate and even cure the distorted behavior. Behavior therapists in
contrast view disordered behavior as learned from past experience and they attempt to alleviate
the disorders by training the patients to use new and more adaptive behavoiurs.
These two positions are not incompatible and many therapists try both to correct distorted
cognitions and to train patients to engage in new behaviours. When therapists combine both
techniques, it is called cognitive behavioral therapy.
Therefore, cognitive behavior therapy is a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapies
approach which helps people change negative thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviors so they
can manage symptoms and enjoy more productive, less stressful lives.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was developed by Aaron T. Beck, Albert Ellis, among
others.
Cognitive behavior therapy is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps patients
understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors.
Traditional behaviour therapy focuses mainly on changing observable behaviours by means of
providing different or rewarding consequences. The cognitive behaviour therapy broadens
behaviour therapy to incorporate the contribution of how people think to creating, sustaining and
changing their problems.
The cognitive behaviour therapy broadens behaviour therapy to incorporate the contribution of
how people think to creating, sustaining and changing their problems.
In cognitive behaviour approaches, therapists assess clients and then intervene to help them to
change specific ways of thinking and behaving that sustain their problems.
CBT is commonly used to treat a wide range of disorders including phobias, addictions,
depression, and anxiety.
Cognitive behavior therapy is generally short term and focused on helping clients deal
with a very specific problem.
During the course of treatment, people learn how to identify and change destructive or
disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on behavior.
Most cognitive behavioral therapies have the following characteristics:
CBT is based on the Cognitive Model of Emotional Response.
1
, 2
CBT is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external
things, like people, situations, and events.
The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think to feel/act better even if the
situation does not change.
CBT is shorter and time-limited . It is considered among the most rapid in terms of results
obtained.
The average number of sessions clients receive (across all types of problems and approaches
to CBT) is only 16.
Other forms of therapy, like psychoanalysis, can take years. What enable CBT to be
briefer are its highly instructive nature and the fact that it makes use of homework
assignments. CBT is time limited in that we help clients understand at the very beginning of
the therapy process that there will be a point when the formal therapy will end.
The ending of the formal therapy is a decision made by the therapist and client. Therefore,
CBT is not an open ended, never ending process.
A sound therapeutic relationship is necessary for effective therapy, but not the focus. Some
forms of therapy assume that the main reason people get better in therapy is because of
the positive relationship between the therapist and client.
Cognitive behavioral therapists believe it is important to have a good, trusting relationship, but
that is not enough.
CBT therapists believe that the clients change because they learn how to think differently and
they act on that learning.
Therefore, CBT therapists focus on teaching rational self-counseling skills. CBT is a
collaborative effort between the therapist and the client.
Cognitive behavioral therapists seek to learn what their clients want out of life (their goals) and
then help their clients achieve those goals. The therapist’s role is to listen, teach, and encourage,
while the client’s roles is to express concerns, learn, and implement that learning.
CBT is based on aspects of stoic philosophy. Not all approaches to CBT emphasize stoicism.
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Rational Behavior Therapy, and Rational Living Therapy
emphasize aspects of stoicism. Beck’s Cognitive Therapy is not based on stoicism.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy does not tell people how they should feel. However, most people
seeking therapy do not want to feel they way they have been feeling. The approaches that
emphasize stoicism teach the benefits of feeling, at worst, calm when confronted with
undesirable situations. They also emphasize the fact that we have our undesirable situations
whether we are upset about them or not. If we are upset about our problems, we have two
problems the problem, and our upset about it. Most people want to have the fewest number
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