The major benefits of cognitive-behavioural therapy

The major benefits of cognitive-behavioural therapy

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) has become a widely used treatment for people with specific mental health conditions over the years.

Unlike other traditional therapies such as psychoanalytic therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy produces quicker results and is one of the swiftest therapies around today.

Cognitive therapy

The principles of cognitive-behavioural therapy widely differ from other therapeutic disciplines due to the briefness and duration of therapy sessions.

Negative emotions

For example, some forms of psychotherapy or ‘talk therapy’ may take months or years to get results.

However, CBT’s modality is based on the principle that our thoughts, not external people or events, are responsible for our feelings and emotions.

Ultimately, cognitive behavioural therapy gets moulded around the perspective that people have more control than they think. Therefore, it is possible to change their lives by changing their thoughts.

Mental illness

Cognitive-behavioural therapy is one of the most influential and popular therapies in treating a wide range of mental health disorders, such as:

  • Depression
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Somatoform disorders
  • Personality disorders
  • Eating disorders
  • Stress management
  • Anger, aggression, and criminal behaviors
  • Substance use disorders
  • Chronic pain and fatigue
  • Insomnia
  • Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • Panic disorder
  • Emotional trauma and emotional challenges
  • Negative thinking
  • Social anxiety
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder

Cognitive behavior therapy

Cognitive-behavioural therapy cbt

Due to its effectiveness, cognitive behavioural therapy gets used to treat many symptoms for a wide range of mental disorders.

Studies around the effectiveness of CBT on specific mental health disorders demonstrate how cognitive behavioural therapy is an invaluable method of treating particular psychological and physical health symptoms and conditions.

CBT therapy

Hofmann and colleagues conducted a study in 2012 on the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy on specific mental health conditions.

The conclusions and findings of the study were immensely supportive of the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy as an effective psychotherapeutic treatment for the mental disorders listed.

Mental health condition

The study found that the most robust support for the use of cognitive-behavioural therapy in treating specific mental health conditions was bulimia, somatoform disorders, anger control problems, general stress, and anxiety disorders (Hofmann and colleagues, 2012).

Effective treatment

Moreover, when comparing cognitive behavioural therapy to other treatments, eleven studies showed that patients undergoing CBT demonstrated more significant improvements in their mental health than the comparison conditions in seven of the reviewed studies.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Aside from Hofmann’s study, cognitive behavioural therapy is widely known to be an extremely effective treatment for those with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

In treating OCD, CBT therapy uses exposure and response prevention and includes a range of cognitive interventions that are profoundly useful in OCD patients.

Clinical practice

Another study of fifty young adults between the ages of 12 – 17 years showed that attending 14 sessions of cognitive-behavioural therapy remarkably reduced the participant’s anxiety and OCD symptoms.

Additionally, the sample’s symptoms were maintained at a similar baseline level in a six-month follow-up, demonstrating that the participant’s mental health remained stable long after receiving CBT therapy.

Therapeutic approaches

Broadly, cognitive behavioural therapy is considered the most effective, widely -used treatment for easing the symptoms of a wide range of mental conditions and has become the ‘gold standard’ under the psychotherapy umbrella.

The benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy cbt

The benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy cbt

There are several benefits associated with cognitive-behavioural therapy.

CBT is a goal-oriented therapy and problem-focused therapy, which differs significantly from its psychoanalytical counterparts.

The National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists say that CBT is based on the cognitive model of emotional response (2012).

Clinical psychology

The CBT paradigm operates under the belief that our behaviours and feelings stem from our thoughts and not external factors.

Subsequently, cognitive behavioural therapy focuses on the present rather than an in-depth analysis of a person’s developmental history or past stressful life situations.

Healthier thinking patterns

Whether someone is dealing with a mental or medical illness, cognitive behavioural therapy addresses any maladaptive thoughts and negative emotions that may be causing self-destructive behaviours such as anger issues or substance abuse.

CBT focuses on reframing any negative thoughts, perceptions, and ideas that may be contributing to low self-esteem, automatic negative thoughts, depression, and other forms of mental illness such as an eating disorder.

Coping mechanisms

When people endure traumatic or stressful situations in life, they often adopt unhealthy coping mechanisms to manage their thoughts and feelings.

All this may show up through addictions such as a substance use disorder, a medical condition, or many mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression.

Emotional responses

A CBT therapist’s job is to get patients to view their experiences under a healthier lens by changing the adverse belief systems created during difficult situations.

For example, instead of saying, ”Everything bad that happens is my fault. I am a bad person” negative thoughts are replaced by more accurate statements such as ” I did my best with the knowledge and information I had at the time. I am proud of myself for doing my best.”

CBT helps people to manage stressful life situations better by reframing any negative thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs and developing better communication skills with themselves and others.

Fast results

Cognitive-behavioural therapy seeks to eliminate destructive thoughts and behaviours by focusing on the immediate solution, which means that CBT therapy produces quicker results than other therapies.

CBT therapist

Therapists and psychologists use CBT to treat specific mental disorders and other psychological issues.

How many sessions of CBT do people usually require?

According to the Mayo Clinic, the amount of CBT sessions a person has significantly depended on the mental illness symptoms and coping skills.

Typically, treatment sessions tend to range between 5 – 20 sessions, a lot less than most traditional forms of therapy.

Thought patterns

Cognitive therapy helps modify an individual’s perceptions and beliefs that do not serve them by changing the thought patterns that got originally developed during a stressful event.

CBT helps individuals build more confidence and self-esteem and allows them to manage any co-occurring mental illness by adjusting their thoughts and learning effective relaxation techniques.

Other advantages of cognitive behavioural therapy include:

  • Holding the patient responsible and accountable for the therapeutic outcome
  • Maintaining the idea that one’s thoughts and emotions are responsible for how one feels
  • CBT is engaging and interactive

Contacting us

If you would like to know more about the benefits of CBT or would like to book an appointment with one of our specialists, make sure you get in touch with our center today.

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