FAQs Regarding CBT

CBT is one of the few forms of psychotherapy that has been scientifically tested and found to be in hundreds of clinical trials for many different disorders. It is a talking therapy used to help people experiencing a wide range of psychological and mental health difficulties. Since thoughts and perceptions generate emotions and behavior, CBT re-frames thinking to modify emotions and behavior. CBT provides clients with practical and powerful skills that can be applied over a lifetime to reduce discomfort and improve everyday functioning.

Anxiety and phobias; obsessive compulsive disorder; depression; insomnia; eating disorders; relationship or marital difficulties; sexual problems; drug, tobacco and alcohol abuse; chronic irritability or excessive anger; unwanted repetitive habits; stress related medical problems (headache, hypertension, palpitations, TMJ, Raynaud’s syndrome); childhood problems (hyperactivity, bedwetting, school phobias, depression, anxiety); career assessment counseling; loss and bereavement counseling; fertility counseling; public speaking phobias; psychophysiological ailments; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Psychologists, Clinical Social Workers, Psychiatrists and Professional Counselors are able to perform CBT if they have the relevant training and expertise.

Cognitive behavior therapists use different formulation for each psychiatric disorder. Setting of goals, planning treatment, and selecting interventions will be different as per the disorder. Building trust and rapport with patients from the very first contact, demonstrating accurate empathy, sharing the conceptualization with the patient and collaborating are essential. Another important part of every therapy session is helping patients respond to inaccurate or unhelpful ideas. The basic question to ask when a patient is reporting a distressing situation, emotion, or dysfunctional behavior is: “What is going through your mind right now?” Once we help patients identify their dysfunctional thinking, we help them gain more adaptive and accurate perspectives, especially by helping them examine the validity and usefulness of their thoughts.

Cognitive therapists can’t prescribe medicine but they can discuss the advantages and disadvantages of medication with you. Many patients are treated without medication at all. Some disorders, however, respond better to a combination of medication and cognitive therapy. If you are on medication, or would like to be on medication, you might want to discuss with your therapist whether you should have a psychiatric consultation with a specialist to ensure that you are on the right kind and dosage of medication. If you are not on medication and do not want to be on medication, you and your therapist might assess, after four to six weeks, how much you’ve progressed and determine whether you might want a psychiatric consultation at that time to obtain more information about medication.

The length of treatment varies depending upon each individual and the scope of issues that are to be addressed during therapy. There is no exact answer or exact number of sessions needed to be effective.However, CBT is a shorter-term therapy which can be as short as between 12 and 20 weeks.

One way is to ask your therapist how you might be able to supplement your psychotherapy with cognitive therapy readings, workbooks, client pamphlets, etc. A second way is to prepare for each session, thinking about what you learned in the previous session and jotting down what you want to discuss in the next session. A third way to maximize therapy is to make sure that you try to bring the therapy session into your everyday life. Therapists should make sure you take home notes or a recording of anything you want to remember, both changes in your thinking and an action plan to follow during the week.

Most Indian insurance companies do not cover it. Although each individual plans are different. So it is advisable to check with your individual carrier.

Developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck, Cognitive Therapy (CT), or Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), was developed in the 1960's and has been extensively researched. In CBT, the therapist and the client work together as a team to identify and solve problems.