Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Texas

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Texas

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy used to treat psychological and psychiatric disorders. It is based on the idea that the patient‘s unhealthy behavior is the result of distorted thinking, rather than external situations or other people.

Cognitive behavioral therapy trains patients to become aware of their own damaging thoughts and to consciously alter them in productive ways. This treatment is based on the concept that as patients think more clearly, they will react more rationally, with enlightened self-interest. Cognitive behavioral therapy requires honesty and commitment, but can provide great benefits in terms of mental health.

Cognitive behavioral therapy differs from more conventional psychotherapy in the following ways:

It focuses on a particular problem
It is directed towards achieving a specific goal
It involves homework and practice for the patient

Patients undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy are encouraged to notate their “automatic thoughts,” self-destructive thoughts they may fall back on as default mechanisms, such as “I am useless” or “I am in terrible danger.” By making a record of such troubling thoughts, discussing them openly with the therapist, and perhaps even uncovering their origin in the psyche, patients learn to find patterns of habitual thinking that they then may be able to break. Once they stop reinforcing their own illness by negative thoughts, they may become able to change longstanding self-destructive behavior.

Cognitive behavioral therapy has been used successfully, often in combination with medication or other forms of psychotherapy, to treat many varieties of psychiatric illness, including:

Mood disorders
Anxiety disorders
Personality disorders
Eating disorders
Substance abuse
Sleep disorders
Body dysmorphic disorder
Phobias
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Paranoia and other psychotic disorders

Studies have shown that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can actually alter brain activity in individuals undergoing treatment, indicating that the brain may reprogram itself during therapy. This reprogramming is supported by substantial scientific evidence, highlighting the clinical benefits of CBT. As a result, a diverse array of mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, substance abuse counselors, and psychiatric nurses, are now being trained in the use of cognitive behavioral therapy.