CBT has been so helpful and so fundamental for approaching so many difficulties in mental health. Depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse recovery, eating disorders…. The list goes on. It’s not perfect (what is, right?), but it has come to be a major tool. CBT training can help increase therapists’ resources.
CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) uses a combination of cognitive and behavioral approaches to help clients think, emote, and behave. It is also based on key principles from behavioral traditions, including how certain contexts shape how we typically respond to events that occur. For better or for difficult.
These approaches help clients learn to view situations more objectively (as opposed to more positively, per se). This helps learn new ways to manage distress and behave more in-line with their goals. CBT utilizes a number of different methods to meet this goal.
Structured assignments help build the ability to objectively examine and challenge (if needed) one’s automatic thoughts that arise in situations. These also help one examine and challenge core beliefs about themselves that might lead to distress and maladaptive behaviors.
The approach also helps individuals break patterns of behavior that contribute to distress. For example, extensive evidence shows that avoidance of many situations brings relief in the short-term, but helps maintain many difficulties (e.g., social anxiety, PTSD). Individuals can learn new responses with exposure assignments and experimenting with certain behaviors.
CBT includes a range of other helpful approaches. Many therapists are not trained in conducting CBT effectively with clients. Luckily, there are some great trainings available to train in the fundamentals of CBT. There is a good training from the center that developed the original form of CBT, The Beck Institute. PsychWire’s foundational course also has great CBT training from leading experts.
Pros: CBT itself covers a wide range of approaches. These foundational trainings intend to help clinicians work with a number of common difficulties seen in practice (e.g., depression, GAD, other forms of anxiety). CBT has thousands of studies supporting its efficacy, so its wide support and demand helps practices support a broader client population. It also helps marketability!
Limits: No therapeutic approach is perfect, CBT included. So it can’t “fix” everything and does not work for every client. Additionally, trainings listed here help learn effective CBT for a number of conditions (depression or anxiety). But more specialized follow-up trainings are needed for a number of difficulties (e.g., exposure therapies for anxiety or PTSD, CBT for eating disorders, CBT for substance abuse, etc).
Not all trainings are created equal or work for every difficulty. But CBT is an extremely valuable approach that casts such a wide and effective net. Fortunately, there are good CBT trainings out there to provide more therapists resources to effectively help clients.
