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Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive-behavioural therapy is a relatively short-term, focused psychotherapy for a wide range of psychological problems, including depression, anxiety, anger, marital conflict, fears, and substance abuse/dependence. The focus of treatment is on how you are thinking (your "cognitions"), behaving and communicating today, rather than on your early childhood experiences. Numerous studies have demonstrated that cognitive-behavioural therapy is as effective as medication for depression, anxiety, obsessions, and other fears. Furthermore, because clients learn self-management coping strategies in treatment, they are often able to maintain their improvement after treatment has been completed.
Intake Assessment of Patients: When you begin cognitive-behavioural therapy, your therapist will ask you to fill out several self-report forms that assess a range of symptoms and problems. These forms ask about symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger, fears, physical complaints, personality, and relationships. The purpose of this assessment is to quickly gather information about your presenting problems. In this way you and your psychologist can quickly learn the nature and extent of your problems.
Treatment Plans: You and your psychologist will work together to develop a plan of treatment. This might include how often you need to come; the relevance of medication; your diagnosis; your goals; skill acquisition; and changes in the way you think, behave, and communicate.
What are treatment sessions like? Some other forms of treatment are unstructured, but in cognitive-behavioural therapy you and your psychologist will set an agenda for each meeting. The agenda might include a review of your experience in the previous session, your homework, one or two current problems, a review of what you've accomplished in this session, and homework for the next week. The goal is to solve problems, not to repeatedly describe them.
Self-help Homework: If you went to a personal trainer at a health club, you would expect to get guidance on how to exercise when the trainer is not there. The same thing is true in cognitive-behavioural therapy. What you learn in treatment is what you practice outside of treatment on your own. Research demonstrates that patients who carry out homework assignments get better faster and stay better longer. Your self-help homework might include keeping track of your moods, thoughts, and behaviours; scheduling activities; developing goals; challenging your negative thoughts; collecting information and changing the way you communicate with others.
Aren't my problems due to my childhood experiences? Problems may well be traceable to childhood experiences. However, solutions can be found in what you are thinking and doing today. There are times when it is useful to review problem origins in order to alter the way you think about them now. But it is usually more useful to examine how those problems are being perpetuated at present
Aren't my problems due to biochemistry? Your problems may have a biochemical explanation and therefore your physician may recommend medication. However, medication is but one way to resolve unwanted biochemical changes. Other ways involve changing your thinking, actions and communication during cognitive-behaviour therapy. Unlike medication, these ways are side-effect free, do not incur ongoing costs, promote coping competence, and are associated with greater durability of treatment gains without endless treatment.
How will I know if I'm getting better? You and your psychologist can identify specific goals at the beginning of treatment. You can modify these goals as you continue. You can then monitor how much these goals are being achieved. Please feel free to provide your psychologist with feedback during treatment. This feedback can be essential in deciding what works or what is not working
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