Join Today FREE and Get 20% Off Your First Month When Sign Up
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and CBT Online Therapy Review
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?
Ever wondered what is CBT or to give it its full name, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, how it works, what happens in sessions, and pros and cons of CBT sessions. Then read on. This post explains why CBT can be a useful tool to help with anxiety, and how you can use CBT for stress. It also explains why CBT for depression and other problematic psychological conditions can provide a long-lasting solution.
More than 300 million people suffer from depression globally. And, its estimated that 1 in 4 people will develop a mental mental health condition like anxiety at least once in their life time. If you have questions like how to get rid of anxiety or how to help someone with anxiety or other mental health difficulties then read this guide. I've put together a comprehensive CBT guide that will help you understand better what CBT is why online CBT can become a good alternative.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is considered the gold standard in psychotherapy. CBT is also called a talk therapy in which a therapist or mental health counsellor talks to a patient. Usually, therapists see their patients during several sessions to help them acknowledge and improve their negative thought and as well as "correct" their harmful behavioural pattern. During CBT sessions therapists help patients to manage their negative and unhelpful thoughts (or cognitions like thoughts, beliefs and attitudes) by challenging and changing the way patients think and behave.
CBT is a psychosocial intervention that can improve mental health without the use of psychotic drugs. It's useful in treating anxiety and depression and other mental health conditions.
CBT improves emotional regulation and helps patients to develop personal coping strategies. Initially developed to treat depression, today CBT is used for a variety of mental health conditions.
These include agoraphobia, social anxiety, anger, general anxiety, health anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, insomnia, OCD, and panic attacks. CBT is also useful for PTSD, as well as speech anxiety, stress and even weight problems.
CBT uses evidence-based techniques and strategies, and it helps patients to view challenging situations more clearly, responding to them more effectively and positively. Numerous studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life.
How Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Works?
CBT helps people manage or control the way they think or behave. It helps to deal with their emotional problems (like perfectionism or self-criticism) and avoid negative thoughts that could lead or contribute to worsening depression, anxiety, and emotional difficulties. It is like training someone to be their therapist.
CBT is evidenced-based and incorporates theory as well as research on cognitive processes. It's a combination of principles from behavioural and cognitive psychology. Unlike classical approaches to psychotherapy that focuses on the unconscious meaning behind the behaviour (see Freud), CBT uses a "problem-based" and "action-oriented" approach.
In other words, CBT is used to treat specific problems related to a particular problem (e.g. social anxiety). CBT is a goal-oriented approach which helps to find and practice effective strategies to address negative thoughts and emotions and decrease undesirable symptoms of the mental condition.
CBT maintains the view that thought distortions sustain psychological disorders. Thus, to develop better coping mechanisms, patients need to learn new information-processing skills.
How is CBT different from other psychotherapies?
One of the critical factors in successful therapy is the relationship between the patient and the therapist. But, the effectiveness of the therapy also depends on finding a therapist you are comfortable with, as well as your commitment to put time and effort into making significant behavioural changes. Some CBT sessions can also work well for groups or families. Most people greatly benefit from sharing their problems with others who may have similar difficulties; therefore, group sessions may be an option.
The term psychotherapy refers to any therapy related to the mind (psyche) that helps to achieve mental wellbeing. Some of the types of psychotherapy involve extensive therapy sessions that would take months or years before a patient could recover, e.g., trauma, underlying psychological issues, etc.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy is also a form of psychotherapy. But, it is a short-term intervention that is considered an adequate remedy to correct and prevent future behavioural or mental health problems.
Unlike other psychoactive medications, CBT alone demonstrated to be useful for treating less severe forms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol and drug abuse, Tourette syndrome (or tics), and eating disorders.
CBT is often recommended as the first line of treatment for the majority of psychological disorders in children and adolescents.
When Cognitive Behavioural Therapy an option?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps a wide range of psychological disorders, including:
anxiety disorder, depression, addictions (including drug and alcohol abuse), relationship difficulties, insomnia, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia), agoraphobia, anger, bipolar, GAD, OCD, panic attacks, stress, weight problems and other.
If you suffering from any of the mental health conditions, you may want to consider Cognitive Behavioral Therapy often referred to as a talking therapy as your first option.
If you suffering from any of the mental health conditions, you may want to consider Cognitive Behavioral Therapy often referred to as a talking therapy as your first option. Used alone or in combination with other psychotherapies, CBT can be a beneficial tool.
Can you use CBT if you do not have acute mental health conditions? The answer is yes. CBT is a useful tool that can prevent you from developing mental health conditions. It can be used by anyone who wants to learn how to manage stressful life situations better, as well as develop better-coping strategies.
What happens during CBT sessions?
Cognitive-behavioural therapy is different from other types of therapies. CBT therapists do encourage you to talk about what troubles you. However, CBT is goal-oriented, and you will be setting SMART goals. Here, SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely outcomes. Your therapist will help you identify and formulate problems. The problems may be distressing symptoms, such as social anxiety, difficulty concentrating, or panic attacks. Some patients will seek CBT because of some life problems, such as being unhappy at work or in marriage.
After setting goals, the therapist will assign homework, which you'll have to do between sessions. For example, the therapist might ask you to reflect and write in a diary if any incidents provoked your anxiety or depression. You'll reflect on emotions and behaviours, and discuss exercises or copying solutions. CBT exercises will help you develop better-coping strategies. Often your CBT therapist will use the Socratic method of questioning (collaborative discussion through asking and answering questions).
CBT sessions help patients to identify inadequate thinking patterns. In CBT, a patient and a therapist are working as a team to clarify the situation (or cognitive distortions of thought patterns). Once problems are identified, they will become the basis for planning the sessions. There is an agreement as to what topics or problems the client are working on in the forthcoming week. The client or patient will set a goal and will discuss the progress made with the homework during the follow-up session. CBT therapist will help you work out how to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours by suggesting different interventions.
The benefits of CBT as a talking therapy is that it teaches patients a set of principles that they can apply to different life situations. Once learnt, skills will last them a lifetime.
The sessions will consist of the following stages: assessment, planning and setting goals (SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely), exersise and homework, feedback, application and termination.
6 Stages of CBT sessions
ASSESSMENT - The patient will discuss his or her problem with a therapist. Next, both the patient and therapist will separate the problems into different parts, such as thoughts, physical feelings, and actions to achieve efficiently.
PLANNING AND SETTING GOALS - The problem will be the basis of the plan and the contents of the sessions while planning you will also set your goal and your agendas every session. The main agenda is training the patient to control her thought and behaviour away from negativity.
EXERSISE AND HOMEWORK - The therapist and the patient will work on some activities (cognitive exersises) based on the plan that could help you overcome your problem and achieve the goal.
FEEDBACK - It is required for the patient to give feedback to the therapist about lessons learnt during home excersises. Such feedback loops often often form the basis of the next homework and the progress.
TERMINATION - Solving a psychological problem is the final step of every therapy. The goal is solving the problem of coping with the problem.
APPLICATION - You will apply all the skills you learned in the exercises or homework in your daily life, especially outside the session.
Different approaches vary depending on the problems which are resolved in every session but let me break it down for you.
In CBT, you'll have a session with the therapist once a week or every two weeks. The number of sessions varies from a few (e.g. five to seven) to multiple sessions. The number of required sessions depends on the condition and the problem which are resolved in every session. The sessions usually take 30 to 60 minutes.
A significant advantage of cognitive behavioural therapy is that it tends to be short, usually taking four to ten months for most emotional problems.
CBT therapy near me or CBT therapy online?
Finding a therapist available near you free of charge be problematic. Alternatively, you can also choose to use an online CBT platform like Online-Therapy.com that is specialising in providing affordable online CBT support.
Similar to in-person CBT, you will be working with a qualified CBT therapist online who will be by your side - from start to finish. Your CBT therapist will guide you through the CBT sections and CBT therapy worksheets. You'll be able to message your therapist at any time and have live sessions (available as video, voice-only or text chat).
CBT online therapy for anxiety and other mental health difficulties offers hands-on tools like cbt self-help worksheets, activity plans, messaging, 30 minutes of live chat sessions with your therapist and journaling. These tools are designed to help you identify, challenge and overcome your problems. Cognitive behaviour therapy online is flexible, and you can do this from wherever you are in the world.
And, you can start CBT therapy online FREE to get a feel if this is for you!
Your Therapy Toolkit in The Pocket
Get access to various therapy tools like cognitive behavioural therapy worksheets, live chat, videos, journal and more. Start improving your mental resilience and develop strategies to beat blues.
What are the strengths of CBT (online or in person) ?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy whether it's done in person or as a CBT therapy in online setting is as effective as medicines when it comes to treating people with mental difficulties. However, it may not be suitable for everyone. Other than resolving or overcoming the mental health issue or problem, CBT helps to gain new skills and strategies that can be used in life situations.
After you complete your CBT treatment, you can apply your new skills to manage your mental health better.
Unlike other types of psychological treatment, there is ample scientific evidence that CBT produces a change in patients. You can start your cbt online therapy free of charge today to get a feel if this programe delivers results.
How does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy help patients?
CBT is proven to be effective in many mental health conditions. It helps patients to reduce stress, cope with addiction, deal with anxiety, depression, and other mental health difficulties. In general, it helps patients to understand and accept themselves.
Because CBT is a hands-on and practical approach to problem-solving (e.g. fear of crowds), it helps to change patterns of thinking. And, because you change your patterns of thinking, it changes the way you feels about the situation.
CBT doesn't teach you to get rid of negative thoughts. Instead, it helps you view the situation from a different angle. CBT is a preferred treatment when say treating a mental illness with psychotic drugs is not an option. It can help manage mental illness symptoms and prevent a relapse of mental health illness.
CBT is about empowering patients to change their negative thinking and start thinking more proactively about their mental health.
What are the risks of CBT?
There is no significant risk in CBT. Although, in some sessions, the patient might feel emotionally uncomfortable because CBT explores painful experiences, emotions, or feelings. You may cry or feel upset and physically drained after a challenging session. In exposure therapy, another form of CBT, you will confront a situation you have been trying to avoid, which could lead to temporary stress or anxiety.
You may cry, get upset and angry or feel physically drained. Feeling upset is normal because CBT will make you examine unwanted painful feelings, emotions and situations. Being directly confronted with your anxieties is not easy, and you may find yourself being in more temporary stress as a result of the therapy. Of course, these risks are insignificant compare to psychotic medications that have long-lasting side effects. During CBT, a skilled therapist will minimise risks. You may feel emotionally uncomfortable at times.
However, the coping skills you will learn will help you conquer all the negative feelings and fears in years to come. It's advisable to talk to your therapist should you experience any unwanted effects.
Pros and Cons of CBT
If you still doubt if you should take CBT, let me list some pros and cons for you. Below are the list of common benefits from using CBT to regulate your emotional state.
PROS
If medications did not cure your mental health problems, CBT would be helpful for you. Compare to other therapies, CBT is a short-termed therapy, and it can be completed in a relatively short amount of time like two months. The nature of CBT is highly structured, which means it can be provided in different formats such as groups, self-help books, online therapy and apps.
You will learn new skills and strategies which will be useful in everyday life, even after the therapy. Although you may experience anxiety or emotionally drainage for a short time (since CBT involves confronting your emotions and anxieties), the skills you learn while in CBT are useful, practical, and helpful strategies that will remain with you for life. You can apply all you've learned in your everyday life. The newly learnt life skills will help you to cope better with future difficulties, even after the treatment has been completed.
Whilst there is an obvious advantage in learning cognitive life skills, this review would be incomplete without acknowledging the limitations of talking therapy like CBT.
CONS
You will have to commit to the process. Whilst the therapist will guide and advise you, your cooperation is essential for the treatment to be successful. CBT sessions will take up a lot of your time and effort, especially if you are attending regular sessions. CBT requires structured sessions, so it may not be suitable for people with more complex mental health needs or learning difficulties.
CBT does not address any broader problems, and it does not look at the impact of other factors on your health and wellbeing. It only focuses on the individual's capacity to change themselves (their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours). CBT may not give you enough time to meet your goals since it is a short-term therapy, although in some cases sessions can be extended.
Can you do CBT on yourself?
You can do CBT on yourself using a self-help book or online therapy CBT toolbox. You can try the therapy yourself while waiting for further treatment. It may need to wait a few months to be seen by a specialist through your National Health system. Working with a therapist is highly suggested.
It's proven to be more effective in cases when the guidance of a therapist is required—for example, exposure therapy and response prevention for OCD.
Whether you are doing CBT on yourself, you should still talk to healthcare professionals to help you while you are waiting for the treatment. Still, CBT can be applied as a self-help therapy in times of heightened stress, anxiety, and depression.
How do I find a therapist?
You can get psychological therapies like CBT on the NHS. You can refer yourself directly to an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT) without a referral from a GP.
Alternatively, your GP can refer you as well. Whilst referrals are free; there might be a long waiting list.
Another option is to pay for your therapy privately. The cost of private therapy sessions varies and is usually between £40 to £100 per session.
Another affordable alternative is to use CBT online therapy tools that help you spread costs and have on-demand therapy without a need for a wait.
What is CBT not good for?
CBT is not suitable for people who have learning difficulties and complex mental difficulties. CBT therapy involves facing your emotions and anxieties. Therefore, you may encounter initial periods where you are more anxious or uneasy. Experts showed that some CBT techniques are ineffective for several types of mental disorders.
The authors of Psychological Medicine 2009 determined that CBT is not effective in treating schizophrenia and has limited effect on clinical depression.
Additionally, the authors also concluded that CBT is ineffective in preventing relapses in bipolar disorder. But, because CBT focuses primarily on symptoms identified by the therapist and client, secondary symptoms may be overlooked.
Can CBT also have side effects?
CBT is a helpful therapy for people who experience psychological distresses and who want to use a more proactive approach to managing the symptoms. However, it isn't for everyone.
Examples of side effects include new symptoms, distress, stigma, deterioration and strains in family relation (breakups, suicidality, negative feedback from family members, feelings of shame or guilt, withdrawal from relatives), intensive crying and emotional disturbance while in sessions.
However, some of these side effects can be beneficial to the patients because it improves therapy or reduces attrition.
About the Author
Hi, I'm Jann Eloiza Padilla. I’m a Social Media Manager, Content Creator, Graphic Designer, Traditional Artist, and Mental Health Advocate.
I love creating content that suits the soul of most people whether it is through visual art or through words. I write articles and handle small business owners social media accounts to help find their target audience and especially for them to have more time for themrselves. Success for me isn’t just about the money you earn, but also the time you have to enjoy the present.
CLICK on REVIEWS below to read reviews from more than 1000 happy customers!
