Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Recognised as a physical and psychological condition, a number of different addiction treatment services and recovery processes must be completed through rehab in order to withdraw and detach from addictive stimuli.
Our clients here at Cassiobury Court experience a personalised set of treatment recommendations as a standard through addiction recovery.
Within those recommendations, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an endorsed method of counselling, standing as one of the key pillars of psychological recovery efforts.
Identified as a form of psychotherapy, CBT is recommended to actively treat a variety of conditions, from addiction, to depression, eating disorders and anxiety, showcasing its effectiveness and necessary place in the rehabilitation process.
Down to its diversity, if you’re about to embark on a recovery journey, CBT therapy may be recommended for you, which is why it’s advised that you look to increase your awareness of its value.
The origins of cognitive behavioural therapy
CBT is the brainchild of Aaron T. Beck, an American psychotherapist, created in the 1960s as a marriage between both ‘cognitive’ and ‘behavioural’ therapy.
Originally designed to treat depression, CBT therapy has come a long way, now a regularly recommended form of psychotherapy for a range of behavioural and mental health conditions, including addiction.
Beck reasoned; people’s interpretation of events determines their responding behaviour more so than events themselves.
We are shackled by the interpretation we have of events and our thoughts prevent us from deriving alternative meanings.
Our response to events is ‘automatic’ and shaped by our interpretation of similar events which have occurred in the past.
Down to this automatic response, which can in fact cause more harm than good, especially when considering negative events and associated emotions, cognitive behavioural therapy was developed as a part of the psychological rehabilitation pillar.
In place to link thoughts and interpretations with behaviours, CBT provides opportunities for reflection, of rational outlooks and of self-awareness to examine and replace thoughts with healthier interpretations.
While its origin focused on treating depression, down to the link between negative cognitive emotions, and in turn negative behaviours, cognitive behavioural therapy now offers significant value within the recovery of habitual, compulsive and behavioural disorders.
Key processes and features of cognitive behavioural therapy
If CBT rehab services are recommended to you, it’s important to understand how it works, its key processes and its features.
Starting at the ‘functional analysis’ phase, clients are encouraged to analyse thoughts and behaviours, with the aim to understand and process causations of such behaviours.
Through this phase, clients are taught to recognise specific situations, triggering negative thoughts for them personally.
Through analysing personal triggers, CBT offers a form of relapse prevention, providing clients with insight into their causations, ultimately the types of reactions to avoid when considering addictive or negative stimuli.
The next phase of ‘skills training’ soon follows, where CBT therapists teach our clients to unlearn behavioural habits and responses, with the intention to replace them with positive coping strategies. This phase ultimately offers ways of coping through high-risk situations, linked to habitual responses.
To condense, the key features of cognitive behavioural therapy surround the promotion of identifying causations of negative behaviours and responses, with the aim to revert those responses with new, healthy interpretations.
Through CBT addiction therapy, healthy coping strategies are also communicated and promoted to secure harmless interpretations, surrounding addiction and mental health symptoms.
Implementing CBT
Cognitive behavioural therapy will usually be implemented on a regular basis, where weekly or bi-weekly sessions will be recommended.
Offered in 30- and 60-minute timescales, between 5 and 20 sessions will be encouraged, of exposure to CBT.
However, it is important to remember that addiction treatment services and their necessary stance will vary for each client, meaning that your exposure to CBT may be reduced or increased beyond average.
By incorporating the above features, one way in which CBT is implemented is through written tasks, either individually or within a group setting.
Clients are asked to imagine or enact a situation that promotes their addictive behaviours. Through that vision, thoughts and feelings should be digested and noted down, ready for the analysis phase.
Through the acknowledgement of such emotions and reactions, the skill training phase of CBT therapy can begin, where clients will learn to overlook such reactions, with the intentions to adapt outlooks and their influences.
In between each session, our therapists will set out a plan for you to follow, utilising your new skill of CBT to work through potential triggers, helping to highlight the value of cognitive behavioural therapy within your everyday recovery process.
Over time, adapting to the processes of CBT will be possible, helping you control and reason with your emotions.
Pros and cons of cognitive behavioural therapy
While CBT is highly recommended, there are both pros and cons of the therapy, which indicates its suitability for each individual client.
Pros surround its strong ability to adapt outlooks, it’s a harmless place within the recovery process, its ability to offer recovery capabilities without the use of medications, and its complimenting place with medical addiction treatment services.
Cons surround the time that it can take to respond to CBT, its influence of resurfacing raw and sometimes difficult emotions to experience, the degree of commitment that it demands and its minimal place for those with complex behavioural issues.
Ultimately, we at Cassiobury Court will evaluate whether cognitive behavioural therapy is suitable for you throughout your residential rehab stay, by using your needs as a benchmark against both pros and cons.
Through suitable recommendations, CBT is a prominent addiction treatment service, also in place to treat mental health issues and cognitive vulnerabilities.
CBT in a nutshell
Cognitive behavioural therapy helps clients figure out:
- Their thoughts arising from situations
- Their resulting emotions which direct their behaviours
- Their capabilities to challenge such thoughts and aim to change emotions/behaviours for the better
Summing up cognitive behavioural therapy and its processes, clients work to backtrack the steps which led to a particular addictive behaviour. They then begin to understand that behaviours are directed through emotional and cognitive processes.
If thoughts and beliefs are altered, so too are emotions and behaviours, highlighting the aims of CBT therapy. Ultimately, our therapists help our clients to challenge negative thoughts so that new, healthy emotions and behaviours arise.
For more information on CBT, contact our team today. In tandem with many other addiction treatment services, cognitive behavioural therapy will likely help you through your recovery journey.
Experience your journey here at Cassiobury Court.
