Certainly, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all interconnected and strongly influence one another. Further, as explained in the NIH Curriculum Supplement Series published by the National Institutes of Health, each type of mental illness “alters a person’s thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors in distinct ways.” Thus, effective treatment for mental health disorders must involve identifying maladaptive patterns that exist deep in the psyche to bring about lasting mental and behavioral change.
Fortunately, many different treatment approaches can help clients struggling with mental health disorders better understand the connections that exist between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. From there, clients can work alongside professionals to best adjust these connections for optimal healing and wellness. For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most well-known psychotherapy approaches used to facilitate behavior change in treatment. Learning more about CBT and its influence on mental health and wellness can be especially valuable for those seeking healing.
At Wisconsin Wellness, we offer extensive outpatient mental health treatment services to individuals of all ages. Whether an individual is seeking personal growth or seeks to overcome severe mental health disorders and symptoms (including suicidal ideation), we have a plethora of treatment modalities available for clients aimed at enhancing the quality of life and recovery. CBT is just one of these modalities. Meanwhile, learning more about the structure of CBT and how it can benefit mental health can help reduce ambivalence surrounding treatment and encourage those who are struggling to know what to expect from the treatment process.
The Origins of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
As explained in the publication Cognitive Behavior Therapy by authors Chand, Kuckel, and Huecker, Aaron Beck, an American psychiatrist, developed CBT in the 1960s. According to the publication, “The idea for developing this form of psychotherapy took root when Aaron Beck began to notice that his [clients] with depression often verbalized thoughts that were lacking in validity and noted characteristic ‘cognitive distortions’ in their thinking.” Up to this point, depression was solely identified as a mood disorder. However, as a result of his clinical observations and empirical findings, Beck offered a new understanding of depression, noting it as a cognitive disorder.
According to another publication titled Cognitive Deficits by authors Dhakal and Bobrin, cognition is defined as “the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.” Cognition encompasses a wide range of functions and processes, including, but not limited to:
- Attention
- Memory
- Decision making
- Planning
- Perception
- Judgment
- Reasoning
- Knowledge
- Comprehension
- Language
Furthermore, the publication also provides a valuable explanation of cognitive disorders. Cognitive disorders include any disorder that involves significant impairment in cognitive functions to the point where it becomes impossible for an individual to function normally in daily life and society without treatment. It is important to highlight that while not all mental disorders are cognitive disorders, many involve disturbances in cognitive functioning. Nevertheless, understanding cognitive function and its role in overall mental wellness is a critical aspect of CBT.
Understanding the Basics of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Mental Health
Simply put, CBT is a structured, goal-oriented form of psychotherapy that helps clients identify, process, and overcome troubling mental health symptoms and emotional concerns, modifying dysfunctional patterns. According to the aforementioned publication titled Cognitive Behavior Therapy by authors Chand, Kuckel, and Huecker, “CBT is based on a straightforward, common-sense model of the relationships among cognition, emotion, and behavior.” Meanwhile, in the CBT model:
Three aspects of cognition are emphasized:
1. Automatic thoughts
2. Cognitive distortions
3. Underlying beliefs or schemas
Focusing on each of these aspects of cognition can help individuals better understand how CBT works to alter harmful, underlying cognitions that may contribute to continued distress in daily life.
#1. Automatic Thoughts
First and foremost, according to an article by Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, automatic thoughts are defined as “the superficial part of cognition and represent the thoughts that arise when encountering an event.” Automatic thoughts are immediate and unpremeditated. In everyday life, they can be helpful as they allow individuals to conserve mental energy, ensuring that such mental energy can be applied to situations and circumstances in our immediate environment that require intentional focus and attention. Without automatic thinking, on the other hand, day-to-day life would be even more overwhelming as each person would have to manually process and respond to every stimulus they are presented with.
In the moment, automatic thoughts are important in that they offer individuals a way to interpret their situations. However, not all automatic thoughts are positive and helpful. Continuing, automatic thoughts “are classified as negative or positive automatic thoughts according to the emotional valence associated with the thought content.” Negative automatic thoughts often initially develop in response to stressful life events. They often surface when we are feeling negative emotions. Yet, when these types of automatic thoughts arise, they can also intensify negative emotions.
For example, consider a person who makes a mistake at work. If positive thoughts override their automatic thought processes, they may think to themselves, “Whoops. I know I won’t make that mistake again.” Although they may feel a bit embarrassed or upset that they made that mistake, their confidence and persistence still shine. On the other hand, if negative thoughts override their automatic thought processes, they may think to themselves, “I can’t believe I did that. I am so stupid. I’ll never be good enough.” In other words, they may associate this mistake as a mistake of their character.
Nevertheless, without properly addressing these destructive thoughts and the situations that inform them, they can become habitual in daily life and, in turn, form self-destructive behaviors. With the help of CBT, individuals can become aware of any dysfunctional automatic thoughts and work alongside a professional to make thoughts less exaggerated and more realistic.
#2. Cognitive Distortions
The next aspect of cognition emphasized in the CBT model is cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are internal mental filters and errors in logic that bring individuals to erroneous conclusions. Without treatment, these biases can distort the perceptions that an individual has about themselves, their relationships, and their overall daily lives.
Many different types of cognitive distortions can negatively influence mental health. According to the journal Europe’s Journal of Psychology, the ten most common cognitive distortions include:
- Mind reading: Assuming other’s opinions and beliefs about oneself
- Catastrophizing: Making distressing conclusions about the future
- All-or-nothing thinking: Thinking in binary extremes without considering the full spectrum of possibilities or evaluations
- Emotional reasoning: Coming to a conclusion from an extreme emotional response
- Labeling: Calling oneself hurtful names after the occurrence of a challenging situation
- Mental filtering: Focusing solely on negative information while ignoring positive information
- Overgeneralization: Assuming a conclusion about the future based on one negative event
- Personalization: Assuming that a person is the sole cause of an adverse event
- Should statements: Thinking that something should or must be a certain way
- Minimizing or disqualifying the positive: Similar to mental filtering, ignoring positive information or occurrences
Like negative automatic thoughts, cognitive distortions and errors also develop from stressful life events. Every person will likely experience cognitive distortions at one point or another. Without effectively tending to these distortions, they can fuel continued distress and contribute to worsened self-esteem. CBT helps clients overcome cognitive distortions using cognitive reframing techniques. More specifically, these techniques empower clients to consciously change how they feel as they navigate cognitive distortions.
#3. Underlying Beliefs or Schemas
The third aspect of cognition emphasized in the CBT model is underlying beliefs or schemas. According to the aforementioned publication Cognitive Behavior Therapy by authors Chand, Kuckel, and Huecker, underlying beliefs or schemas “are defined as templates or rules for information processing that underlie the most superficial layer of automatic thoughts.” In CBT, beliefs are broken down into the following levels:
- Core beliefs
- Ideas and philosophies that shape an individual’s worldview
- The most fundamental level of belief
- Often global, rigid, and overgeneralized
- Consist of core ideas about oneself and the world
- Intermediate beliefs
- Conditional rules about situations
- Consist of assumptions, attitudes, and roles
- Adjusted in response to the development of core beliefs
The stories that we tell ourselves about ourselves and our lives in adulthood often develop from the stories we were told as children. Specific patterns and themes may emerge from these stories, which ultimately drive our behaviors as we age. With the help of CBT, individuals can become aware of the dysfunctional core or intermediate beliefs that they may hold. From there, individuals can learn to adopt healthier and more realistic schemas to enhance their thoughts, emotions, and behavior patterns in recovery.
The Science Behind CBT: Understanding Its Effectiveness
Understanding the basics of CBT can help potential clients know what to expect from individual therapy sessions. Addressing the science and efficacy of CBT, however, can provide clients with the confidence they need to prioritize CBT treatment entry and engagement. As explained in Frontiers in Psychology:
CBT dominates the international guidelines for psychosocial treatments, making it a first-line treatment for many disorders, as noted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines and American Psychological Association. Therefore, CBT is, indeed, the gold standard in the psychotherapy field, being included in the major clinical guidelines based on its rigorous empirical basis. . .
What makes CBT the gold standard (in other words, the best standard) in modern psychological treatment? It’s because it offers clients valuable yet manageable ways to approach daily challenges, including difficult emotions like sadness and fear. In contrast to other treatment approaches, CBT does not require individuals to delve deeply into their past. CBT also does not require an extensive number of sessions for clients to experience helpful results. Rather, CBT is time-efficient and effective, providing individuals with useful skills and strategies to encourage long-lasting behavior change in the present.
Continuing, a meta-analysis published by Cognitive Therapy and Research examined the use of CBT for treating a wide range of mental disorders and other concerns, including substance abuse, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders, general stress, and more. The study identified 269 reviews that involved the use of CBT for children and elderly adults. As explained by the publication, “In sum, our review of meta-analytic studies examining the efficacy of CBT demonstrated that this treatment has been used for a wide range of psychological [concerns]. In general, the evidence-base of CBT is very strong, and especially for treating anxiety disorders.”
How CBT Enhances Overall Well-Being Beyond Mental Health
Although CBT is effective for treating a wide range of mental disorders, some individuals may wonder whether CBT should be considered for enhancing overall well-being beyond mental health. There are many reasons why CBT can be especially valuable for enhancing overall well-being. In addition to helping individuals identify and overcome dysfunctional aspects of cognition, CBT can also provide individuals with effective solution-focused strategies and goal-setting strategies in daily life.
On the one hand, individuals who lack the knowledge of healthy solutions may ignore and avoid personal challenges to prevent themselves from feeling overwhelmed by them. As many may already know, however, situations and circumstances that are avoided will continue to impair functioning in daily life until they are properly handled. Fortunately, with CBT, individuals will implement a five-step, solution-focused process into their lives. This five-step process involves:
- #1. Identifying the challenge
- #2. Generating a list of potential solutions
- #3. Evaluating the pros and cons of each potential solution
- #4. Choosing a solution
- #5. Implementing the solution
As individuals lean into this process and gain associated solution-focused strategies, they can become more confident in their ability to face personal challenges in daily life. This enhances overall well-being by providing a reliable structure that individuals can use to navigate stressors and challenging life experiences when they surface in the future.
Meanwhile, goal setting is another strategy that can be especially beneficial for enhancing well-being beyond mental health. In CBT, goal setting is used to help clients identify and believe in their full potential. Without goals, an individual may not have a proper understanding of what they want to accomplish or what will be required to sustain change. Thus, with goals, individuals can not only identify what they’d like to accomplish and when but also gain the motivation that they need to be committed to ongoing growth and healing.
Integrating CBT Into Your Life: Practical Steps to Finding an Adult CBT Therapist
Deciding to integrate CBT into one’s life is an undeniable step towards growth and healing. No matter where an individual is located, there are numerous different treatment facilities and CBT programs to choose from. Thus, finding a best-fit CBT therapist can be a challenging endeavor.
At Wisconsin Wellness, we recommend that clients research CBT therapists online before committing to a treatment program. For those who do not have an opportunity to relocate for treatment, it may be necessary to seek out a CBT therapist based on geographical location. Further, some facilities may allow clients to contact therapists directly or connect with therapists during a brief introductory session. This provides clients with the opportunity to ask questions, build therapeutic rapport, and know what to expect from future treatment sessions.
Meanwhile, at our facility, we know how important the therapeutic relationship is to facilitating an effective CBT experience for clients. Thus, we have a “Meet the Team” webpage on our website to help potential clients learn more about the mental health professionals they may be working with in the near future. For those with additional questions about staff members or CBT in general, please do not hesitate to call our facility.
The Use of CBT for Mental Health and Beyond and Wisconsin Wellness
Furthermore, Wisconsin Wellness is committed to utilizing the best evidence-based practices to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities as a whole. Whether an individual is interested in CBT or a different evidence-based treatment, we have something for everyone at our treatment facility. Allow us to guide you in meeting the best version of yourself, today.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an action-oriented approach to psychotherapy that helps clients better understand the connections that lie between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. More specifically, CBT helps clients address and overcome harmful patterns of cognition that otherwise influence negative emotions and behaviors. By tending to negative automatic thoughts, cognitive distortions, and dysfunctional beliefs and schemas, individuals have the opportunity to thrive in the face of stressors and other challenges in life. Meanwhile, at Wisconsin Wellness, CBT is one of many psychotherapeutic approaches we use to guide our clients toward growth and healing. Learn more about our treatment program options and the other modalities we offer by calling us at (920) 404-2100 today.