Cognitive-behavioural therapy
In the 1960s, American psychiatrist Aaron Beck developed a method of psychotherapy which was then called “cognitive therapy”. Today it is referred to by most of the practitioners as cognitive-behavioural therapy. It was designed for patients suffering from depression. Since then, it has been adapted to the needs of patients with various diagnoses and problems, of various ages, origins and levels of education.
Both cognitive and behavioural therapies assume that “it is the learning processes that determine our behaviour (behavioural therapy), the way we acquire and perpetuate our beliefs and how we perceive the world (cognitive therapies)” (Popiel and Pragłowska, 2008). In practice, the cognitive therapy techniques are applied together with the ones of behavioural therapy. Therefore, in most offices we will come across the term “cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy”. The abbreviation “CBT” is also commonly used – from English for “cognitive-behavioural therapy”.
Today there are many forms of cognitive-behavioural therapies that share some common features (the most important of which is the use of cognitive and behavioural therapy techniques) and yet differ from one another in terms of conceptualization, focus on selected elements of the disorder model or the used techniques. Beck’s cognitive theory integrates different types of psychotherapy and is open to its new forms.
The cognitive model which underlies the cognitive-behavioural therapy assumes that dysfunctional thinking – distorted automatic thoughts and rigid beliefs – is the common feature of all mental disorders. Non-adaptable cognitive schemes and beliefs are created as a result of our experiences, often the ones from our early childhood. In the course of our lives, we “learn” a certain style of thinking which then strengthens and becomes a filter through which we interpret our subsequent experiences. The way we think affects the kind of emotions we experience and how we behave. Because cognitive schemes are “saturated” with emotions and are sometimes quite rigid, sometimes we need specialist help in order to change them.
Dobson and Dozois (2001) indicate the following principles of cognitive therapy:
- Cognitive activity affects our behaviour.
- Cognitive content and processes can be monitored and changed.
- Behavioural and emotional change can be prompted by a cognitive change.
Treatment in cognitive behavioural therapy is based on conceptualization, i.e. individual formulation of a patient’s problem. The therapy aims at changing the patient’s cognition in order to cause an emotional and behavioural (behaviour) change. By a cognitive change we mean a change in our thought content (beliefs, opinions, assumptions, expectations) and cognitive processes (cognitive distortions, deductions, cognitive strategies). In order to achieve a lasting improvement in mood and behaviour, the therapy affects our deeper cognitive content, i.e. beliefs. After changing to more functional thinking, patients may feel better, deal better with their problems and take actions that are beneficial for them.
Nowadays, not only are the theoretical principles and techniques of cognitive-behavioural therapy used in psychotherapy itself, but also in counselling, social welfare and education.
Bibliography:
Beck, J. S. (2012). Terapia poznawczo-behawioralna. Podstawy i zagadnienia szczegółowe. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Kraków.
Popiel, A., & Pragłowska, E. Psychoterapia poznawczo-behawioralna, P. E. (2008). Teoria i praktyka. Paradygmat, Warszawa.
Make an appointment with us:
Reception:
Monday to Friday: 14:00-18:00
PHONE: + 48 882 511 914
EMAIL: centrumintegramente@gmail.com
Please leave an SMS or WhatsApp message if we do not answer - we will call you back as soon as possible. In the case of e-mail messages, we will also be grateful if you leave your contact number.