I have been on a binge to learn more about therapy and keep my mental health in a great space. You know, healthy mind healthy person. Self-care is the rave these days and justifiably so! If you have been researching psychotherapy, you will have chanced upon cognitive therapy. If you’re new to the world of therapy, then there seems to be a lot of information; too much to process. Like everything else, you can very easily get information overload, but this is good information to have. This write up seeks to explain what cognitive therapy is, what it entails, what it is used to treat.
Cognitive psychotherapy also referred to as cognitive behavioural therapy is one of the more popular types of therapy. It looks at current thoughts and beliefs and how to improve them through an assessment of behaviour. Because it uses events happening or situations occurring during the period of therapy, it allows the patient to immediately apply learnings or solutions from the session to his or her existing condition. This allows the patient to exhibit independence and show improvement within a short time-span.
The Science of Cognitive Therapy
At the start of the therapy, the therapist will ask a series of questions to learn more about the challenges the patient is facing; these could be spread across work, school, relationship, marriage, finances, etc. These questions help the therapist gauge the feelings, thoughts and feelings of the patient as well as get to know the current challenges being faced by the patient.
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After learning more about the patient and the unique case, the therapist then asks the patient to read and learn about what cognitive therapy is. The patient is also asked to pen down the challenges they are facing and how this affects the life of the patient. These readings also help the patient anticipate the way the therapy will be undertaken and possible outcomes other patients have experienced.
Assignments are undertaken at several points during the therapy sessions to find out where things stand as compared against the goals set at the start of the session. This allows both therapist and patient to stay accountable and track progress or otherwise made.
One of the biggest pros of this type of therapy is how much it involves the patient in all aspects of the therapy. Beyond working together to set goals for the sessions, the therapist focusses on helping the patient identify positive and constructive ways to approach circumstances they will face in life outside of therapy. This therapy does not seek to understand why you make certain decisions or reactions to life scenarios; the priority is allowing you to find a good way to react and handle what unsettles the patient.
What Cognitive Therapy Treats
Cognitive therapy may not be the solution to every condition, but there are many conditions that cognitive therapy could successfully help treat. This type of therapy has been successful in treating patients with anxiety disorder, depression, drug and alcohol abuse, personality issues, marital conflict and a wide range of other similar situations.
Irrespective of age, gender, marital status or financial standing cognitive therapy could help whatever situation you struggle with. Read more about cognitive therapy in this article by BetterHelp.
More importantly, don’t wait for your situation to get out of hand. Please speak to a therapist or inform your primary health provider about the situation so they can set you up with a mental health expert. There are several support systems and solutions for you; you don’t have to experience this alone.
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