CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) was a development of behavioural therapy. It was developed and consolidated primarily by Albert Ellis and Aaron T. Beck and has gained in popularity to now be arguably the most popular form of psychotherapy. Below I describe what I consider to be some of CBT's most useful concepts that I make use of in my own practice.
Thoughts affect Feelings
CBT holds that our thoughts act as a conduit between the events in our world and our feelings. Therefore, while an event does has an effect on how we feel, it must first be translated by our thoughts. By changing these thoughts, therapy and counselling can begin to influence how our feelings are affected by external events.
Negative Automatic Thoughts
With thoughts as a conduit between feelings and events, the question arises as to how damaging thoughts are allowed to happen within the mind. CBT proposes that uncensored, underlying beliefs about who we are strongly influence these thoughts; they are thereby able to generate 'negative automatic thoughts'. CBT aims to expose these core beliefs such that they may be updated and revised.
CBT Focuses on Results
CBT is commonly used as a form of brief therapy; it typically centres on the client and the therapist establishing a set of objectives that are to be worked towards within an agreed timeframe. While this is a key part of my work, I also, like many other CBT practitioners, continually review our objectives to see how close we are to achieving them, as well as checking that the objectives we have are still relevant in light of the discoveries we have made.