Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: What Is It and Who Can It Help?
Cognitive behavioral therapy is offered in psychotherapy practices, hospitals and rehabilitation clinics. CBT is an effective and lasting treatment for anxiety disorders, research shows. CBT provides the tools to alter the thoughts and behaviors that exacerbate anxiety.
For example, a patient with depression may be asked to write down the thoughts he has when something upsetting happens, and then to work with the therapist to test how helpful and accurate the thoughts are.In subsequent sessions, the client will identify the negative or maladaptive thoughts they have about their current problems and determine whether or not these thoughts are realistic.Each CBT session lasts between 45 and 60 minutes, and a complete treatment can require as few as five sessions and as many as 20 sessions.Since its inception, CBT expanded to serve as an umbrella term encompassing many techniques designed to help with specific issues.As in all types of therapy, it is important to work with a therapist with whom one can be...