Discussion of Cognitive Behavior Theory Essay

The theoretical tools of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) include:

1. Identifying negative thoughts and core beliefs;
2. Goal setting;
3. Practicing new skills to help a patient cope with triggering situations or bad habits;
4. Self-monitoring.

Skills related to the theory (Young, 2021):

• Good assessment skills that consider the client’s religious, cultural, and family background:
  • Active listening;
  • Effective questioning;
  • The ability to make correct observations;
• Be able to build and maintain a good relationship with the client;
• Know how to increase client’s motivations for self-change;
• Good communication and interaction skills.

The first step of the therapy includes the identification of damaging beliefs that the client holds. It necessitates active listening, effective questioning, and good observational skills to deliver the most accurate assessment of the problem. Moreover, the helper should be able to build a close and trusting relationship with the patient. Next, the client and therapist should agree on the problem and the reasons that cause it and then determine the next steps of treatment (goal-setting). At this stage, the professional should seek to help the suffering person to build belief in one’s ability to change and overcome the problem. Finally, during the treatment process and end of the therapy period, the therapist should be able to communicate his/her instructions as clearly as possible to facilitate the acquisition of new skills and prevent relapse.

I think that one of the most difficult skills to apply in practice would be delivering correct and unbiased primary patient and problem evaluation due to existing prejudices that professionals may have towards clients. Sandhu et al. (2017) argue that this issue may impact the quality of provided services greatly, especially when wrong preconceptions are implicit (i.e., biases that professionals hold but are not aware of).

The fundamental presupposition of the CBT theory is based on the notion that mental and behavioral problems stem from destructive thoughts that individuals have. Therefore, theoretical tools and skills mentioned above are used to identify unhealthy thinking habits and replace the latter with positive ones.

References

Sandhu, H. S., Arora, A., Brasch, J., & Streiner, D. L. (2019). Mental health stigma: explicit and implicit attitudes of Canadian undergraduate students, medical school students, and psychiatrists. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(3), 209-217.

Young, M. E. (2021). Learning the art of helping: Building blocks and techniques (7th ed.). Pearson.