Cognitive behavioural therapy is a short-term therapy treatment that is focused on changing people’s cognitions using different techniques. Using cognitive behavioural therapy can reduce stress, help deal with grief, help in coping with complicated relationship issues, and in dealing with many other life challenges. It is based on our thought patterns, our perceptions, feelings, and the way we see our life. In several cases, cognitive behavioural therapy is found to be very useful.

How to find a CBT Therapist

If you are looking to find the perfect CBT Therapist it is crucial to make sure that they have the appropriate qualifications, knowledge and experience. At Expat Therapy 4U we only accept therapists who have full professional proficiency in English and are highly experienced in working with people from culturally diverse backgrounds. The clinicians we approve share our values and commitment to provide high quality therapy to the expatriate community in the private sector across Europe and online worldwide. We strongly believe that therapy changes lives, and being accredited ensures all our therapists are qualified to a high standard. You can find a CBT Therapist who is insured to practice and accredited with a recognised membership body online here.

How does Cognitive Behavioural Therapy work?

The core principle of cognitive behavioural therapy is that feelings and thoughts play a fundamental role in our personalities and behaviour. For instance, if you spend a lot of time thinking about a tragedy that might have happened years ago, it will keep you stressed out and affect your behaviour. Moreover, you might develop some fear out of the remembrance of that past incident.

The goal of CBT is to teach people that they cannot control every aspect of their lives, but they can control their perceptions and reactions. CBT has gained much popularity in recent years because of its effectiveness. Here are some of the strategies that are used in the process of CBT:

Cognitive Reconstructing

This is where the therapist helps the client focus on the negative thoughts that are shaping the behaviour. Perhaps you tend to expect the worst out of everything, you over-generalise things and give too much importance to the things that are not necessary at all. When you think this way, you won’t be able to live a fulfilled life.

The therapist helps in identifying and processing these thoughts. Once you know about them, you can easily reframe these thoughts at the right moment.

Exposure Therapy

It is used when the client has some phobias and fears to deal with. It exposes the client to the fears that provoke anxiety along with the guidance about how to deal with them. The exposure makes you feel more confident and less vulnerable.

Thought Records

Writing is a great way of expressing your thoughts and feelings for the moment. The therapist might ask you to write down all the negative thoughts that are occurring to you during or after sessions along with all the positive ones that you used to fight those negative thoughts. When you make it a habit of writing down your thoughts, you will be able to monitor your progress by yourself.

Behavioural Experiments

Typically, behavioural experiments are used where there is catastrophic thinking leading to anxiety disorder. Before exposing yourself to the tasks or events that might put you in anxiety, you are asked to think about what is going to happen. After that, you will talk about whether what you thought was right or not. In most of the cases, you will see that it is in your mind and that the negative things that you thought will happen were not happening.

Relaxation

In CBT, you will come across some of the relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, imagery, and muscle relaxation. These techniques will help you lower your stress level and increase the sense of control. This can help deal with social anxieties, phobias, and other stressors.

These strategies along with other very effective techniques are used in CBT sessions to achieve the goals of the therapy.

Who can Benefit from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?

Cognitive behavioural therapy is said to be suitable for addressing specific problems and achieving targeted goals, so people having specific issues are a good fit for this therapy. CBT might not be suitable for the people who feel vaguely unhappy and have trouble thinking about improving a specific part of their lives.

It is more helpful for people who can be related to the goals of CBT such as problem-solving, identifying and removing negative thoughts, and moving towards practical assignments. People tend to move towards CBT for practical and goal-oriented treatments. People with the following issues can benefit from CBT:

• Panic attacks
• Anxiety disorders
• Anger issues
• Chronic pain
• Depression
• Eating problems
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Adolescent problems
• Mood swings
• Phobias
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Sleep issues
• Sexual and relationship problems

Also, people having hallucinations and delusions are also being treated with CBT nowadays.

Goals of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

The basic concept behind CBT is that feelings and thoughts play a significant role in shaping our behaviours. For instance, if you always think about road accidents, you mind end up being afraid of travelling.

The main goals of cognitive behavioural therapy are to teach people that they can control their behaviours by reshaping their thought patterns but they shouldn’t worry about the things that are out of their control such as past incidents.

Cognitive behavioural therapy can help you with many things from mental illnesses to generalised issues. However, its main goals are:

• Making people aware of their negative and positive thoughts and showing them how those thoughts are affecting them.
• Making them able to reshape their thoughts and take control of their lives.
• Making them able to engage in healthier thought patterns.
• It is a very effective short-term treatment plan for many illnesses.
• The type of emotional distress that cannot be treated with medications can be dealt with the help of CBT.
• Making people able to change their maladaptive behaviours and overcome their fears.
• Make them recognise that their distorted thinking is creating problems in their lives.
• Building confidence in them to rely on their abilities and be better.
• Helping the client design their treatment plan once they have got insight.
• Role playing with the clients to develop insight into them.

Find a CBT Therapist through the Expat Therapy 4U platform

It is not about the therapist doing everything alone. In this therapy, the therapist and the client work side by side to build a better treatment plan that benefits the client in the best way. The therapist never imposes a treatment plan on the client instead the client is made confident enough to accept that the help is required. Cognitive behavioural therapy can help people deal with many issues most easily and quickly. That’s why is it one of the most popular therapies right now.

Further Readings on CBT

https://theinternationalpsychologyclinic.com/a-guide-to-cognitive-behavioural-therapy/

https://theinternationalpsychologyclinic.com/services/cbt-cognitive-behavioural-therapy-in-london/

https://theinternationalpsychologyclinic.com/services/cognitive-behavioural-therapist-in-london/

https://theinternationalpsychologyclinic.com/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-for-depression/

https://theinternationalpsychologyclinic.com/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-for-anxiety-disorders/