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Important Aspects Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

By Thomas Graham


Psychotherapy forms an important component of management for many physical and mental illness. In most cases it is offered alongside other forms of treatments (such as pharmacotherapy). Cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT, is available in New Jersey and involves attending talk sessions with a trained therapist with the aim of identifying possible causes of an illness and working on their solutions. The conditions for which it has been found to be most effective include eating disorders, depression and anxiety disorders among others.

Typically, clients are required to attend therapy sessions one every week or every fortnight. Each session usually lasts between 30 minutes and one hour. Depending on the nature of the illness, a total of 5 to 20 sessions are needed. Your therapist will help you classify your problems into three broad categories namely: thoughts, feelings and actions. The analysis of these three areas will help identify the causes of the problem and how best it can be rectified by changing inappropriate thoughts and behaviors.

The success of this therapy is determined, to a large extent, by the existence of a healthy partnership between the client and the therapist. Clients who are actively involved in making decisions regarding their illness tend to have better outcomes than those that are not. The two should strive to find common ground for most of the major issues relating the condition or illness. Treatment options should be a product of consultations between the two.

The results of CBT are not instant. A lot of patience and hard work are required before any meaningful change is seen. A significant number of clients may experience worsening symptoms as they attempt to confront their illness. This should by no means discourage them from sticking to the treatment plan. Sharing these struggles with their psychotherapist may help create solutions on how to deal with them.

CBT is effective for conditions that affect individual clients as well as groups. Couples and family therapy are examples of treatments that have greatly benefited from the therapy. Other forms of groups may similarly benefit as long as they have similar problems. One of the main advantages of offering the therapy to a group is the fact that group members tend to share their experiences and coping skills.

The client should be honest and as open as possible if they are to benefit from this treatment. They need to freely share their thoughts, experiences and emotions with their therapist to make it possible for solutions to be formulated. In case one feels that sharing some information is embarrassing or is likely to result into emotional pain they should let the therapist know. The therapist is obliged to maintain client confidentiality (except in very rare circumstances).

Symptoms may recur after some time in some patients even after successful treatment. When this happens, the right thing to do is to practice the skills that were gained in previous CBT sessions. If very severe, a repeat of the treatment may be necessary. Other forms of treatment may be helpful in increasing the effectiveness of CBT. This includes drugs such as depressants (in the case of depression) and other types of talk therapy.

Referrals to CBT specialists may come from primary physicians, friends or relatives. In some cases it is a personal decision. Regardless of the case, one must make sure that they identified the right therapist for their case. Ensure that you can afford to pay for the treatment to avoid dropping out along the way.




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