Cognitive behavioral therapy is a short-term psychotherapy method that focuses on changing an individual's thoughts in a positive way. It can be applied to both children and adults and allows behaviors to change by changing thoughts. This method has been supported by many scientific studies and has a wide range of applications. It focuses on negative thoughts in particular and replacing them with positive thoughts.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive behavioral therapy assumes that thoughts and behaviors interact with each other. With this therapy method, where negative thoughts negatively affect behaviors, thoughts are changed in a positive direction.
Negative thoughts are likely to develop behaviors that will create problems. Especially when focusing on negative thoughts, more dead ends can be reached. With cognitive behavioral therapy, these bad thoughts are replaced by healthy thoughts.
How Effective is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
In cognitive behavioral therapy, the client and therapist determine the subject to be focused on together and act together throughout the process. They decide together how to make thought and behavior changes, thus the individual plays an active role in their own psychological health. During the cognitive and behavioral therapy process, the therapist takes notes and makes evaluations about how the client has progressed and how the process progresses. How positively the individual is affected by this therapy is also revealed in this way. If the determined method is not suitable for the person and progress has not been made, a different therapy method can be preferred.
Who is Cognitive Therapy Applied to?
Cognitive behavioral therapy can be applied to people with many psychological disorders and behavioral disorders. It is an effective therapy method in conditions such as depression, anxiety disorder, eating and sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction and post-traumatic stress disorder. It can also be used to teach children, adolescents and parents coping skills in certain situations.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Stages
Cognitive behavioral therapy consists of one-on-one sessions between the client and the therapist. The therapist can learn how much the client is getting out of the sessions with the tests and scales he/she performs before the sessions. In cognitive behavioral therapy, first of all, information is obtained about the feelings, thoughts or behaviors that the client is uncomfortable with. Then, the therapist and the client primarily work to transform negative and unhelpful thoughts into a useful way of thinking. Sometimes homework can be given; the client can write down the feelings and thoughts he/she experiences until the next session on a piece of paper and these issues are addressed in the next therapy session. Breathing or relaxation exercises can also be applied to the client in therapy. The therapist guides the client on how to avoid unhelpful and unrealistic thoughts.
The Difference of Cognitive Therapy from Other Therapies
Cognitive therapy focuses on understanding the individual's problem and solving it. In this respect, it is called a pragmatic type. It focuses on the current issue that the client is complaining about and is busy changing the effect of the problem on behaviors and thoughts. In cognitive behavioral therapy, the client and the therapist search for a solution together and work together with the therapist on this path. The most important difference from other types of therapy is that the client's current problem is resolved. It does not focus on past events or childhood problems. The aim of cognitive therapy is to eliminate the negative thoughts and behaviors that cause the current problem.
What is Done in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
In cognitive behavioral therapy, the aim is to realize that the thought that creates problems for the individual is negative and to replace this negative thought with a more realistic and positive thought. The cognitive part of this therapy method is about changing thoughts, and the behavioral part is about renewing incompatible behaviors. During the therapy process, the feelings and thoughts that disturb the individual decrease with the sessions.
How Long Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Last?
Cognitive behavioral therapy progresses in the form of therapy sessions. These sessions with the psychologist vary between 40-60 minutes. Session intervals are held once a week on average. When therapy sessions will end depends on many variables. It depends on the severity of the complaints the client is experiencing, whether this type of therapy is beneficial or not, and whether the homework given by the psychologist is done or not.
