Our thoughts are powerful; They influence our feelings and mood—and even our behaviour. Negative thoughts, in particular, can have significant adverse effects on our mental well-being and overall quality of life.
However, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), also known as talk therapy, can help change the way we think, feel, and behave. This can help reduce symptoms associated with anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorders, insomnia, and more, guiding us toward a healthier state of mind. So, let’s take a look at CBT, how it works, its benefits, and how you can harness the power of CBT to improve your mental well-being.
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy that focuses on changing the way we think and behave to help reduce mental health problems. It’s rooted in the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are all connected. For instance, when we think negative thoughts, we tend to feel and behave negatively. CBT believes that by learning to control these negative thoughts and challenge them, we can overcome these feelings.
CBT teaches us how to self-regulate and become our own therapy resource. It gives us the tools to manage dysfunctional beliefs and automatic thoughts that may be exaggerated, distorted, or unrealistic.
For instance, common cognitive distortions may include:
- Overgeneralizations: Making broad generalizations based on multiple isolated cases.
- Mind Reading: Making assumptions about the thoughts or intentions of others.
- Fortune Telling: Predicting how things will go before they even happen.
- Catastrophizing: Thinking an event or situation is much worse than it is.
- Emotional Reasoning: Coming to conclusions based on how you feel rather than the facts.
- Minimization: Reducing the importance of positive characteristics, events, or experiences.
CBT helps us overcome these types of thinking patterns by helping to identify them and challenge them. CBT is shown to produce effective and positive long-term outcomes for patients while potentially offering a cost-effective treatment route.
How Does Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Work?
CBT works by helping us overcome thoughts that don’t serve us. Yet, any CBT therapy treatment begins with understanding the client, their problems, their goals, and their objectives. This will determine the treatment plan, type of CBT, and techniques used.https://bhatiapsychology.com/blog/psychotherapy-vs-cbt-understanding-the-differences/
Success is measured by the client’s feedback, as well as any progress made toward set goals. Therapists may also use psychological testing and assessment tools to measure progress.
Who Can Benefit from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Many people can benefit from CBT, including individuals diagnosed with:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Phobias
- Insomnia
- Substance Abuse
- Schizophrenia
- Anorexia
- Bulimia
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Panic Disorders
- And more.
CBT may also prove beneficial for individuals managing and coping with long-term chronic conditions, such as fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), fatigue syndrome, and arthritis. In contrast, CBT may not be suitable for individuals with learning disabilities or very severe and complex mental health disorders.
Why Choose BPG for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Finding the right therapist is paramount when overcoming mental health hurdles and changing innate thought patterns. At Bhatia Psychology Group, our caring and compassionate team is with you every step of the way. Our clinical psychologists, registered psychotherapists, and registered social workers are trained and experienced in CBT, as well as other treatment protocols and modalities. We can help you tackle a variety of mental health needs.
Our experts focus on client-centred care, meaning our goal is to help you achieve your objectives and outcomes to foster a better quality of life. You don’t have to face life’s challenges alone; Bhatia Psychology Group is here to offer the emotional support and guidance you need to lead a healthier and happier life.
What to Expect from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT with Bhatia Psychology Group begins with an initial assessment session where we understand your needs and goals. CBT is very effective, meaning some may require only a few sessions. However, most individuals experience positive outcomes with eight to 15 sessions.
During the initial sessions, we work on building trust and rapport between therapist and client, as well as identifying issues that need to be addressed, determining if CBT is right for you, identifying the goals of your sessions, and recognizing what specifically may hold you back. With these foundations, we can focus future sessions on overcoming negative or dysfunctional thought patterns specific to you.
Common Misconceptions about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
It’s important to note that CBT isn’t just “thinking positively” or that it is the same for everyone. Each treatment is individualized to the client and their needs.
Additionally, CBT is more about identifying negative thoughts and challenging them, finding solutions as opposed to merely learning “positive self-talk.” While this may be part of your treatment, it is often not the sole focus. This allows CBT to get to the root of your problems rather than targeting just the symptoms.
How to Get Started with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at Bhatia Psychology Group
CBT can provide us with the tools we need to become self-sufficient and overcome recurring, negative thought patterns. This type of therapy is effective in a wide variety of cases, helping countless individuals lead better and healthier lives.
With over 14 years of experience, the Bhatia Psychology Group can empower you to overcome negative thoughts and feel better. To book your appointment, call us at 905-508-1130 or email us at info@bhatiapsychologygroup.com.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470241/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1755738012471029
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2963469/
https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-019-3952-9
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5028385/
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/overview/