What is CBT?

Jun 27

At LIFT, we have several therapists (Shannon Broderick, LPC, Michele Battey, LCSW, and Mary Dobson, LMFT, CEDS) who specialize in working with clients from a Cognitive Behavior Therapy framework. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is an evidence based theory and prevention model utilized in psychotherapy and counseling. It has become known to be the gold standard of treatment, due to its empirically supported evidence for treating anxiety, depression, adjustment issues, eating disorders, or phobias. We thought it would be meaningful to explore the story behind CBT and how this integrative model can offer practical tools to apply in your daily life.

In the 1970s, CBT was originally developed by world-renowned psychiatrist, Aaron Beck. Beck believed that human thoughts and beliefs impact one’s emotions and behaviors. Moreover, he saw that the way people think and interpret life’s events affects how they both behave and feel. CBT teaches us that by exploring our unhelpful repetitive thinking patterns, we can begin to develop an awareness of these automatic thoughts and change the way we think. This can also give us a better understanding of the motivation behind our behaviors. Finally, doing CBT work can allow us to achieve a greater sense of confidence in our abilities. By living less in our heads, we think we can improve your mood, wellbeing, and relationships.

Many of us can fall into these negative thinking traps. Beck first coined a psychological term for these called cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions limit our ability to see things from a balanced “real” perspective and show up in our lives in different ways:

Overgeneralization

Focuses on a single event and makes a conclusion often from negative evidence.

Example: “I failed that one test, now I am never gonna graduate college and get a job.” “My last relationship didn’t work out, so I am never going to get married.”

Polarized Thinking

When you have an all-or-nothing thinking pattern.

Example: “I always fail.” “If I am not perfect, then I am not worthy of love.”

Jumping to Conclusions/Mind Reading

Assuming you know what others are thinking or how they will react, make conclusions with no evidence of what you know to be true.

Example: “He/She/They haven’t responded to my message, he/she/they must be really upset with me.”

Should/Must Statements

Example: “ I must eat healthy all the time.” “I should be more productive even when I am exhausted.”

Personalization/Blaming Others

Taking things personally causes a direct personal reaction to what others say/ Playing the victim role.

Example: “They just ended a meeting abruptly, it must have been because of me.”

Tips for overcoming distorted thinking and reframing unhealthy thoughts:

First recognize that thoughts are not facts.
Write a journal to spot and become aware of unhealthy patterns in your thoughts.
Revise the self-defeating “should/must” rules.
Practice becoming mindful of your tendency to blame yourself when things don’t go as you wish, or as you planned. Try to observe your thoughts without judgment.
Frequently check in with your emotions and challenge your thoughts to check the reality of the situation.
Recognize and remind yourself that you often don’t know why people act as they do.
Be kind to yourself and learn to let go.
Owning your feelings which will allow you to deal with them and move forward with them.

Here are some questions to help you examine and challenge your thoughts:

How do I know if this thought is accurate? Is this thought 100% true?
Am I exaggerating or overestimating the severity of the situation?
What is the evidence for and against this thought or belief?
Am I holding myself to an unreasonable standard?
Am I making this personal when it isn't?
Am I blaming myself unnecessarily?
What would I say to a friend in this situation?
What alternative explanations or interpretations are there to my friends/partner’s/boss’s response?

So what typically goes on in a CBT session?

CBT clinicians emphasize what's going on in the client’s life right now, instead of what happened in the past, to develop more healthy coping skills.
Together with your therapist, as a client you will learn to face your fears instead of avoiding them.
CBT therapists often utilize role play to support you in preparing for potentially problematic interactions with others.
Learning to calm one’s mind and relax one’s body in the here-and-now with the help of your therapist.

Contributed by Katarina Williams, BA, Clinical Intern