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An overview of CBT by Dr Marcantonio Spada, CPscyhol., FHEA, BABCP acc
Consultant Cognitive Behaviour Therapist at CADS
What is Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)?
CBT is a psychological treatment for behavioural and emotional problems that is based on scientific principles. The central idea in CBT is that most behavioural and emotional problems arise from having learned to think and cope in unhelpful ways. The fundamental goal of CBT is to help clients identify and change ways of thinking and coping so that these problems can be overcome.
How does CBT work?
Client and therapist work collaboratively in order to identify, breakdown and understand the problems presented in terms of the interaction of thoughts, emotions, physical feelings, and actions. This typically leads to the identification of personalised, and usually time-limited, therapy goals and strategies which are continually monitored and evaluated. CBT provides the clients with the insight and skills to improve their quality of life and enable them to cope and progress on their own once therapy is finished.
CBT for substance misuse?
CBT for substance misuse entails initially looking at how this problem typically develops and how to go about building motivation for changing it. Enhancing motivation to change is crucial, as many people who abuse drugs are ambivalent about letting go of them which in turn may negatively affect the outcome of therapeutic interventions.
Central to CBT for substance abuse are a variety of other interventions, including challenging unhelpful thoughts about using, learning to tolerate craving, identifying pathways to using, building new skill sets or re-activating old ones, increasing pleasurable activities and fostering social support. Finally, once change is implemented it’s crucial to ensure that it is maintained. A variety of strategies can be acquired for dealing with slips (if they occur) and tackling using related problems such as anxiety, low mood and stress. These strategies fall under the umbrella term ‘relapse prevention’.
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