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Essay / Cognitive-behavioral therapy: a theoretical reflection
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the notion that as human beings, our thoughts, emotions and behaviors are related to each other. The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to identify connections between emotions, thoughts, and actions, and to work with clients to determine what is or is not helpful to their well-being based on their values. This style of treatment is considered person-centered and focuses heavily on psychoeducation as well as a strong therapeutic alliance. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayCognitive behavioral therapy is actually the successor to an earlier talking therapy known as rational emotional behavioral therapy (REBT), developed by the famous psychologist. Albert Ellis in 1955. This therapy was unique for its time, as it moved away from the psychoanalytic focus of maladaptations and childhood, and focused on the client's current thoughts and whether they are conducive to the life he or she would like to live. live. According to Dr. Ellis, if these thoughts and associated emotions do not align with what the client is seeking to achieve, it is imperative that the client take the initiative to change these cognitions and monitor their behavior. This form of therapy gave a lot of power to the client and no longer portrayed them as a victim of circumstances or as poor caretakers. Instead, she got clients to take responsibility and take an active role in achieving the change they want to see in their lives. Key concepts of this therapy include providing clients with the tools to: examine the validity of their cognitions, measure/record their experiences. as this happens to the client and to make necessary changes to their behaviors and/or beliefs in order to interrupt their previous thought patterns. The key terms we hear most in this type of therapy are cognitive distortions and shoulds. Cognitive distortions refer to a person's beliefs that are not rooted in absolute truth or objectivity, but rather based on the client's less than accurate perception of reality. Cognitive distortions include catastrophizing (making every event a huge ordeal, e.g.: I have never been late for work and today I will be 15 minutes late! I will be fired!), personalization (taking a event or actions of another person personally Example: My supervisor didn't say hello to me this morning, so I must have made a mistake on my last shift.) and polarized thinking (otherwise known as the name black and white thinking Example: If I don't get into Harvard, then my high school career was for nothing.) These distortions tend to affect a client's judgment and often lead to it. to act in a way that he believes will rectify the situation. On the treatment side of CBT, one will often hear the term "homework" which refers to the task or takeaway that a client and therapist work together to formulate with the aim of either contributing to explicit goals, or to make people more aware of the problems. daily cognitions in the client's life. In application, cognitive behavioral therapy may include restructuring, behavior modification, and/or the development of alternative coping skills. During a session, this might look like a client describing a particularly distressing scenario with their therapist and going through which event leads to the thought, which leads.