CBT: what is it and why is it helpful.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, also known as CBT, is one of the most widely used approaches to therapy aimed at helping improve symptoms of various disorders. It is not only used for adults, but for children as well. To understand CBT better, we could break it down in its two primary components: the cognitive and the behavioural.

Cognition refers to our understanding through our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and experiences. At the core of CBT, we work on the concept that our behaviour is a result of specific cognitive processes (i.e., our beliefs about ourselves, other people, or the world). It follows the notion that our behaviour is a function of our beliefs (amongst other things), thus problematic or undesirable behaviours may result from maladaptive beliefs we hold. In CBT, the client and psychologist cooperate to establish what is the problem (behaviour/cognition) and why it is there (cognition). The psychologist works by asking questions to gain a deeper understanding of the thoughts, feelings, and underlying beliefs regarding a specific situation.

Once, the problem is established, CBT focuses on targeting the cognitions that result to the problem.

One of the techniques used to accomplish this, is cognitive restructuring - the process of challenging the beliefs of the person.

  • If an individual is experiencing social phobia (extreme anxiety in social situations due to the feeling of being evaluated by others) the cognitive behavioural therapist can challenge one of their core beliefs (e.g. “I will say something stupid and everyone will laugh at me”), by asking questions (such as “do you know for a fact that you will say something stupid?” or “would you laugh at someone for making a mistake?”). Through these questions, the psychologist aims to challenge both the cognition and the result the client fears, by helping them think about the situation from different perspectives.

Another example of targeting problematic beliefs is the pro-con list. This is where a psychologist asks the client about evidence that confirms their belief and evidence that contradicts it.

  • If an individual believes they are incapable of making friends, then the cognitive behavioural therapist can ask about experiences or situations in the client’s life which support this statement and contradict it. A lot of times, by the end of the session, the client expresses more evidence against certain beliefs rather than in support of them. This in turn helps shift the strength of the problematic belief by providing solid evidence from the client’s own experiences in life. Additionally, this also helps the client be more able to challenge their own beliefs in the future by stepping back and considering whether a belief is based on facts or subjective maladaptive thinking processes.

The second element of CBT refers to behaviour. Behaviour refers to the way we act, respond, or react to stimuli around or within us. Behaviours can be changed with CBT through exposure therapy, relaxation techniques and more.

Exposure therapy is frequently used when the client has difficulty responding to situations or stimuli (internal and external).

  • If an individual is struggling with the notion of saying “no” to events they don’t want to participate in (people pleaser), they could benefit from exposure therapy - through a controlled and stable manner - by saying “no” to one request they don’t wish to take part in per week. In this way, the client is slowly exposed to doing what they fear or feel uncomfortable doing. The most gratifying benefit of exposure therapy is that the more someone is exposed to a situation, the less distressed and more confident they feel when encountering that situation again.

Relaxation techniques are practices where the client learns to help themselves calm down. Relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing can be very helpful for adolescents experiencing panic attacks, people with anxiety disorders or phobias as well as in many other cases.

CBT has been effectively proven to help individuals with:

  • Depression

  • Bipolar disorder

  • PTSD

  • Anxiety disorders

  • Sleep disorders

  • Eating disorders

  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

  • Phobias

  • Sexual disorders

  • Schizophrenia

  • Substance abuse

CBT has proven to be one of the most effective treatments for a variety of disorders. It is important to note, however, that CBT is not only for people already diagnosed with a specific disorder. People who are experiencing symptoms or problems in their daily life can benefit significantly from CBT.

CBT can be beneficial to anyone wishing to change cognitions and behaviours that have been interfering with their daily functioning and have had unsuccessful attempts of changing them in the past.

You can read more about Cognitive Reframing here, and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy here.

Theodora ConstantinouCBT, therapy, approach, help, psychologist, work