Bipolar disorder is one of the most common and disabling mental illnesses (Costa, 2010). A variety of therapeutic approaches have been used to address the illness in client populations, with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) standing as the most frequently-applied methods (Miklowitz, 2009). This paper will explore the history of CBT theory and its major techniques, its efficacy in the treatment of bipolar disorder, and the author’s personal reactions to it as a theoretical orientation.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: History and Overview
Founded by Aaron Beck, CBT is a theoretical approach to mental illness which focuses primarily on the ways in which a client’s thought patterns (cognitions) influence his/her behavior and affective states …show more content…
Beck (1979) argues individuals develop certain ingrained belief systems in response to childhood events (schemas), which are activated in the present in response to specific stimuli. Once activated, these schemas lead to specific immediate cognitions (automatic thoughts) which, in turn, fuel emotional responses. If an individual has dysfunctional schemas, the ensuing automatic thoughts will lead to emotional disturbances such as depression (Beck, 1979). The key to CBT’s effectiveness lies in its emphasis on a rigorous examination of the client’s cognitions and assumptions to identify and challenge distorted …show more content…
The client is guided to explore their automatic thoughts and taught how to identify cognitive distortions such as: arbitrary inference, selective abstraction, overgeneralization, magnification and minimization, personalization, and absolutist/dichotomous thinking (Beck, 1979). Once the client recognizes the flaws in his/her thinking, it is possible to systematically challenge and replace them with more realistic thoughts (Beck,
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: History and Overview
Founded by Aaron Beck, CBT is a theoretical approach to mental illness which focuses primarily on the ways in which a client’s thought patterns (cognitions) influence his/her behavior and affective states …show more content…
Beck (1979) argues individuals develop certain ingrained belief systems in response to childhood events (schemas), which are activated in the present in response to specific stimuli. Once activated, these schemas lead to specific immediate cognitions (automatic thoughts) which, in turn, fuel emotional responses. If an individual has dysfunctional schemas, the ensuing automatic thoughts will lead to emotional disturbances such as depression (Beck, 1979). The key to CBT’s effectiveness lies in its emphasis on a rigorous examination of the client’s cognitions and assumptions to identify and challenge distorted …show more content…
The client is guided to explore their automatic thoughts and taught how to identify cognitive distortions such as: arbitrary inference, selective abstraction, overgeneralization, magnification and minimization, personalization, and absolutist/dichotomous thinking (Beck, 1979). Once the client recognizes the flaws in his/her thinking, it is possible to systematically challenge and replace them with more realistic thoughts (Beck,