Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

December 5, 2021 Elsa Orlandini

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on helping individuals discover helpful ways of dealing with difficulties or problems that they may be facing. CBT encourages individuals to look at the link between the way they think, how they feel, and how they act or behave. The link between these 3 concepts is important because individuals facing some difficulties often engage in unhelpful or distorted thinking. Distorted thought patterns can lead some to always expect something to go wrong, worry excessively, be highly critical of themselves, and turn small things into big problems. As a result of these maladaptive thinking patterns, it is likely for individuals to become overly stressed, anxious, angry, or unhappy. Due to the discomfort these emotions tend to produce in individuals, it is common for individuals to develop unhealthy or ineffective ways to cope with their emotional reactions. Common reactions include withdrawing or isolating themselves, avoiding things that may seem too difficult, tendencies to give up easily, and seeing themselves in negative ways.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT helps individuals effectively identify the thoughts and feelings they are experiencing in order to better understand the link between their thoughts, their feelings, and behaviors. Then the psychologist works with the individual to find more helpful ways of thinking attempting to shift unhealthy thought patterns to more effective and rational thought patterns.

Who is a good candidate for CBT?

CBT was initially developed to treat depression; however, research throughout the years has found CBT to be effective in treating individuals suffering from various mental health concerns – such as:

Significant anxiety
Panic attacks
Eating disorders
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Sleep disorders
Nicotine and other substance dependence
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Additionally, CBT benefits individuals of various age groups. Although it was initially developed to treat adults, various CBT treatment programs for children have been developed and have been found to effectively treat various symptoms in children. Children often benefit from the coping skills building component CBT provides and research has shown a significant decrease in symptoms when parents are also involved in the therapy process.

If you are interested in finding out more aboutCognitive Behavioral Therapy services and how they can benefit you or your child, please call Miami Psychology Group. Qualified licensed psychologists are now accepting new patients in the Miami and Miami Beach area.