cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) involves working closely with a therapist to recognize and overcome unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaving. CBT takes a practical approach, with goal setting and homework assigned between sessions.
CBT may be administered by psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health social workers as well as in counseling services and online. CBT incorporates various techniques such as:
Behavioural Experiments
Behavioural experiments are an integral component of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), used to test and modify inaccurate and unhelpful beliefs that interfere with healthy functioning. Clients collaborate with their therapist to design an experiment, then conduct and monitor it; results are monitored before further investigations may be encouraged by therapists to further assess beliefs of clients.
Behaviour experiments may take place either inside the therapist’s office, or outside. Quick in-office experiments often serve to build momentum for more extensive out-of-office behavioural experiments.
CBT uses behavioral experiments specifically tailored for treating PTSD. These include experiments designed to demonstrate that predicted events do not materialize and expose clients’ emotions if they’re suppressing them for fear of becoming overwhelmed or ineffective at managing them. Some therapists even employ behavioral experiments in therapy sessions in order to address any irrational beliefs which impede progress during treatment.
Activity Scheduling
Activity Scheduling (AS) is a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) technique designed to increase the frequency of enjoyable activities like reading or meeting up with friends. AS forms part of Behavioral Activation Therapy, one of the most successful empirically supported treatments for depression.
Example: Diane was an isolated young woman suffering from depression who would often spend her weekends watching television alone in her room. Without any social interactions from friends or family members, Diane felt disconnected from life itself.
Utilizing the self-monitoring exercise, she and her therapist observed that her mood was tied to specific activities – such as drinking wine late at night or watching news on TV – which brought down her spirit. Together they agreed on changing her activity schedule by replacing activities which brought down her spirits with enjoyable ones – such as going out for coffee with friends.
They created a visual activity schedule to remind her to engage in her activities, which was presented prior to each therapy session as a cue to encourage participation in them.
Graded Task Assignment
CBT therapists typically assign homework assignments between sessions to help clients practice new skills, such as monitoring automatic thoughts or tracking behaviors or conducting behavioral experiments and practicing them at home. For instance, worksheets might ask clients to monitor automatic thoughts, self-monitor behaviors or conduct experiments at home before coming back for another appointment.
These techniques aim to teach you that how you interpret situations or triggers is what ultimately determines their behavior. For instance, someone living with PTSD who notices their heart beating faster might assume this means they’re having a panic attack (although there may be perfectly normal reasons for the heart to beat quicker).
These tasks aim to shift maladaptive thought patterns and motivate you to find evidence against negative assumptions and beliefs. One such task, known as functional analysis, requires listing all of the risk factors leading to certain problem behaviors before working backwards to identify any antecedents; additionally it’s beneficial for learning about cognitive distortions like distorted thinking, denial and ruminating.
Goal Setting
Cognitive Behavior Therapy uses goal setting as an approach for managing emotional or behavioral difficulties. For instance, someone struggling with social anxiety could work with their CBT therapist to set goals around increasing the number of friends they have or making more time for leisure activities on a regular basis.
In order to meet these objectives, therapists can employ various strategies, including keeping a thought record (to identify negative automatic thoughts that drive behaviors) and timetabling (planning for rest, work and leisure each day). Socratic questioning provides another tool; here, open questions can help clients uncover more balanced perspectives.
Through regular sessions with a trained CBT therapist and using these tools, clients can build the confidence needed to change the way they think and feel about situations, providing motivation and keeping them committed to treatment.