Process of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Abstract

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is focused on problematic assumptions and behaviors which have an important role in development and maintenance of psychological problems. Through the process which is understandable and clear to patient and therapist, it tries to be effective and successful as much as possible. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a structured form of psychotherapy which usually follows standardize sequences of events, which goes from process of evolution and definition of problems to which treatment will be focused, through socialization into cognitive model, creating a treatment plan, implementation of the treatment program and finishing of treatment. It is important to establish and through out the treatment maintain strong therapeutic alians with the patient and all the time understand patient’s problems and ways of how to treat them (case conceptualization). Further more, we teach the patient cognitive-behavioral techniques, which are an important mean with which one can help oneself to deal with emotional problems at stressful events and everyday problems. They allow changing the way of thinking and reactions and with that they reduce emotional stress. Certain meetings are usually structured and contain short summary of earlier meeting, feelings, homework, short term and long term aims of therapy, main and current problems. When the therapy reaches the last phase, we start to prepare the patient to the end of therapy and for prevention of symptoms and to check one’s obtained possibilities of coping. Each form of therapy includes also a supervision process which teaches the therapist how to solve problems which are emphasized during the therapy and how to take into consideration also ethical codex which guides therapeutical work and solves ethical dilemmas.