Cognitive Behavioural Therapy- Does it really help?

The fear of not being able to meet your boss’s expectations, balancing your work and personal life, constantly worrying about the future, unable to meet yours and as well your family’s needs can be a daunting task. If you ever feel that you’re unable to manage an area of your life and feel helpless, maybe it’s about time to see a cognitive behavioural therapist who may be able to help you deal with and see things with  a different perspective.

What is CBT?
Cognitive-behavioural therapy is a type of psychotherapy (talking treatment) which does not dwell on the events in your past; instead it deals with the here and now- the way in which your current thoughts and behaviours are affecting you. Although it is different from counselling,  the CBT therapist will support you and empathise with you while keeping the course of therapy structured,  problem-focussed and practical.
How can it help me?

CBT helps in eliminating negative thoughts and encourages new ways of thinking, which  in turn, makes the client empowered to change their behaviour. CBT has shown to help people with different types of problems associated with both mental and physical health.  CBT is used alone, and sometimes used in addition to medication and  depends on the severity and the type of condition you are being treated for. These include:

•    Phobia
•    Anxiety
•    Depression
•    Bipolar disorder
•    Psychosis
•    Obsessive compulsive disorder
•    Post-traumatic stress disorder
•    Difficulties with anger
•    Low opinion of yourself or physical health problems such as fatigue and pain
•    Drug or alcohol abuse
•    Some sleep problems
•    Chronic (persistent) pain
•    Stress disorder
•    Marriage or relationship problems

How does CBT work?
CBT helps clients to make sense of their problems by breaking them into smaller parts, thus making it easier to understand how they are connected and how they affect you. The problem is broken down into the following aspects/parts, through which the CBT therapist helps you cope with the issue.

•    A situation- difficult situation or a problem
•    Thoughts
•    Emotions
•    Physical changes
•    Actions

The way in which you perceive and think of a problem can affect you physically and emotionally and each of these areas can affect others as well.