Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A Practical Guide

Have you ever wondered how you can change your emotions and behaviors? Through a CBT practice you can learn about the connection between your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions and how to alter your way of thinking. 

Read more at the CBT Practical Guide below! 

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A Practical Guide

What is CBT?

• A psychoeducational, goal-oriented, collaborative therapeutic process

• Primarily used to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression

• The goal of CBT is to change emotions and behaviors by altering ways of thinking

• CBT provides a skill set for:

  • Understanding the connection between thoughts, behaviors, and emotions

  • Identifying unhelpful vs. helpful thoughts

  • Changing and challenging thoughts

• CBT involves learning techniques and strategies to practice this skill set

• Homework can be assigned outside of sessions to practice these skills further.

  • Homework may include: Thought records, guided meditations, breathing exercises, etc. 

Who is involved in CBT?

• CBT is facilitated by mental health professionals, such as therapists

• CBT occurs in both individual and group settings

• CBT is effective in early childhood throughout later adulthood

• Used to treat several disorders (mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and eating disorders)

How does CBT work?

• As humans, we have a set of core beliefs and assumptions that exist below our awareness and influence our perception of events/situations. 

• In certain situations, these beliefs and assumptions can become irrational and affect how we experience a situation or interaction.

• These beliefs and perceptions inform our thoughts about a situation, which is considered an automatic thought.

• Automatic thoughts drive our emotional experience and behavioral response to a situation.

• When our automatic thoughts are negative, our emotions and behaviors can formulate accordingly, which affects the quality of our experience with an event/situation and dictates our behavioral response. This process reinforces the maladaptive cognitive patterns.

• CBT helps us change unhelpful thinking patterns through psychoeducation, skills and strategies, and homework between sessions. 

• The process of CBT indirectly changes our emotional experiences (such as anxiety, depression, distress, etc.) and behavioral responses to be more adaptive, as we learn to think more rationally and challenge our irrational beliefs and negative automatic thoughts. 

Source: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Overview

The therapist works collaboratively with the client to uncover the core beliefs and underlying assumptions that inform how the client perceives an event or situation. The way a client perceives a situation informs their automatic thoughts about the situation. These automatic thoughts are identified and targeted in CBT, through learning strategies and skills with a therapist, to become aware of negative thought patterns and learn how to challenge these thoughts. By adapting to alternative ways of thinking, the influence of our core beliefs and assumptions is reduced, allowing for situations to be interpreted rationally, indirectly changing the emotional experience and behavioral response to a situation or event. 

CBT Example: Joe fails his math test

• Pre-CBT

  • Thought: If I was smarter, I would’ve passed the test. I am just so stupid (negative & automatic)

  • Emotion: Joe is feeling depressed and anxious about future tests (negative emotional experience)

  • Behavior: Joe doesn’t attempt to do better on the next test. Instead, he gives up on test preparation because he believes that he is the problem because he is stupid (irrational belief/assumption → negative automatic thought → negative emotional experience → maladaptive behavior)

• Post-CBT

  • Thought: I must’ve misunderstood something or didn’t study hard enough for the test (alternative thought)

  • Emotion: Joe is feeling disappointed, but he is motivated to do better on the next test (rational emotional experience)

  • Behavior: Joe begins planning and studying for the next test, so that he will get a better mark (adaptive behavior)

Straight Up Health offers CBT Therapy. Reach out today to book your free consultation call!