What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy? (commonly known as CBT)
What are maladaptive behaviours?
What are some common strategies used in CBT?
Who is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy good for?
There is so much information in the mental health space. Sifting through all the articles and websites can be time consuming. So this is the world’s easiest breakdown, that is easy to understand!
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy? (commonly known as CBT.)
Whether it has been with a psychologist, a counsellor or even self-help books you may have already heard of CBT. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a form of psychological treatment.
It’s been demonstrated to work for all kinds of problems. Including depression, anxiety disorders and severe mental illness.
Research shows it leads people into significant improvements in their functioning and quality-of life.
CBT allows people to identify and correct maladaptive thoughts and behaviours. These thoughts and behaviours may be impacting or even stirring up emotional symptoms. They can be affecting the overall wellbeing in someone’s life.
Maladaptive thoughts and behaviours – What does that mean?
Maladaptive thoughts and behaviours, are anything that might stop or impair you from adapting to new and or difficult circumstances. As a result, the thoughts and behaviours might even stop you from participating.
For example, in things you once used to or would even like to do. This can start after a major life event or change, or it could shift out of the blue. Additionally addiction, abuse, and trauma can cause particular behaviours.
Withdrawal, avoidance and passive aggression are examples of these behaviours. So if you recognise that your behaviours have taken over, it’s time to move towards changing the way things are for you. Significantly there are strategies for developing a more positive or realistic mindset. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps people to have a more positive daily life.
Commonly used strategies in CBT:
– Thought, emotion, and behaviour monitoring increases insight and awareness.
– Cognitive challenging, reframing or correcting those maladaptive thoughts.
– Identifying patterns and structure of behaviours and slowly correcting.
– Exposure to feared conditions to help inaccurate beliefs about these situations.
Who is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy good for?
CBT is well established as a treatment for anxiety disorders. It has also been shown to be an effective way of treating other mental health conditions. Depression or anxiety disorders can be treated with CBT. It can be helpful for people with long-term health conditions. As a result helping people cope with their symptoms.
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