Life changing therapy #CBT

Clients with anxiety and fear will normally have co-existing problems, such as self-worth issues and depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based way to address these conditions.

Unfortunately, most mental health conditions impair an individual’s motivation for school, work, social life, and self-care. When family and friends try to intervene, they are frustrated by the individual’s lack of responsiveness and view it as a willful act of resistance. Once the individual’s support system is frustrated in this way, conflicts arise and the individual’s mental health gets worse.

Research indicates that CBT is one of the most highly effective treatments for depression, anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Personality Disorder, and a variety of other mental health conditions.

Type of Treatments

For treatment to be effective, the individual receiving treatment must be a willing participant in the process. Simply put, the best treatment plan means nothing without the client’s motivation for implementing it. There are three levels to helping my clients:

• At a practical level, you use common sense techniques to produce the changes you want to make.

• At an empirical level, you help your client test the validity of thoughts that fuel anxiety. Overcoming over generalizations can lead to relief.

• At a core level, you deal with deeper issues. Your client may have self-doubts and equivocate a lot. Examine the situations that arouse doubts.

How to Know if Therapy is working

In many cases, it’s difficult for clients to know whether they’re making progress because therapists do not necessarily state the goals and desired outcomes of therapy sessions. Clients may need to rely on their own global impressions. When clients are treated by cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) Therapists, though, they know how well therapy is working, because CBT therapists monitor progress each week by:

1. Evaluating clients’ symptoms.

2. Measuring the occurrence of specific target behaviors.

3. Assessing progress toward specific goals.

In fact, research shows that when both therapists and clients receive feedback on progress, clients tend to have better outcomes (Lambert, et al., 2002).

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To confirm this information, please visit www.nimh.com (National Institute of Mental Health) and do additional research online.