Rational Cognitive Therapy Essay

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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a form of therapy which can be used to treat a wide range of mental health problems. Cognitive Therapy is an active, directive, time limited, structured approach used to treat a variety of psychiatric disorders, for example depression, anxiety, phobias (Beck, 1967). It emerged as a rational amalgam of behavioural and cognitive theories of human behaviour and is based on the idea that our thoughts determine our behaviour and feelings (Kendall PC, 1979). On average a patient attends between 5 and 20 appointments with their therapist. (Blenkiron 2013) One of the earliest forms of cognitive psychotherapy is Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT). Albert Ellis, a clinical psychologist, developed Rational …show more content…

Therapists applying cognitive therapy are continuously active and deliberately interacting with their patients. The way the therapy is structured allows the patients to really engage and participate in the therapy. This has been one of the new positive features of cognitive therapy- the ability to really get involved which then results in a more positive outlook for the patient (Greenwood, 2016). In contrast to more traditional therapies such as client centered therapy and psychoanalytic therapy there is little attention paid to childhood recollections. Cognitive therapists tend to focus on the “here-and-now”. The model focuses on human thought and as human cognitive abilities has been responsible for many of our accomplishments it may be responsible for our problems. One of the main positive points of this therapy is that it has been shown to help with several different problems- from phobias to bulimia to suffering from anxiety and …show more content…

For the individual to benefit from CBT they need to be fully engaged in the process and they need to commit themselves. A therapist can’t make someone’s problems go away if they aren’t fully committed (NHS 2010). The patient needs to be fully open and willing to play a part in their recovery- if not, then the likelihood of them getting better will be very slim and they will fall far short of achieving their potential for psychological health (Dryden, 2005). It is also known that if you are feeling low on particular days, it can be very hard to get motivated. Some research states that because CBT doesn’t address the possible underlying causes of mental health conditions and only addresses current issues, the patient may not be getting the right treatment. In some cases individuals may have underlying issues such as an unhappy childhood which could be part of the reason they are feeling low or depressed. Also every patient and individual acts differently to the same events- we need to understand what a patient brings to and takes from a negative activating

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