Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that supports the re-evaluation of an individuals perception of events, themselves and others. CBT therefore helps rationalise, process and eliminate emotional and behavioural problems.
CBT is the most studied and widely used of all talking therapies. It is used as the basis of many services including marriage, post-traumatic, stress, bereavement and substance abuse counselling.
The aim of the therapy is to alter a person’s belief system. It ultimately helps learn ways to manage emotions in order to eliminate problems.
Variants of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy:
- Brief Solution-Focused Therapy: Is generally used when a specific problem is present ie. anxiety.
- Cognitive-Analytical Therapy: Using a structured and focused framework to understand the origins of attitudes and beliefs and the effect individuals have on present feelings and behaviour.
- Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy: Is where individuals are required to question and remodel their basic outlook on life.
- Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy: Practitioners believe that most emotional distress is the result of irrational or harmful beliefs. A technique is used to help individuals to question their current attitudes and expectations, and to replace negative views with new, more positive and productive ones.
- Reality Therapy: RT helps peoples awareness of their responsibility for their actions and to recognise their current behaviour patterns and beliefs to satisfy their five basic needs. These basic needs are; survival, the need to belong, the desire for power, the urge for freedom and the need for pleasure and entertainment. The patient is guided into exploring other ways of behaving and feeling.
- Personal Construct Therapy: Is based on the theory that we perceive the world not as it is, but as we construct it from personal experience.