Applying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Social Work: Leah's Case

This report delves into the application of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) within a social work context, focusing on the case of Leah, who is grappling with issues stemming from domestic violence, anxiety, and low self-esteem. It introduces CBT as a goal-oriented psychotherapy designed to modify negative thought patterns and behaviors. The report highlights core principles of CBT, including its emphasis on a strong therapeutic alliance, active patient participation, and a focus on present problems. It explains how CBT can empower Leah to evaluate her negative thoughts, focus on positive aspects of her life, and make informed decisions. The report also explores specific CBT techniques such as empowerment, exposure-based intervention, and social skills training, illustrating their potential to improve Leah's communication skills, reduce anxiety, and enhance her overall well-being. Ultimately, the report advocates for CBT as a valuable tool for social workers in addressing complex cases involving anxiety, depression, and distorted thinking.

Running Head: Social Work
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Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................................................2
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)..................................................................................2
Application of CBT in Case Study........................................................................................3
Strategies and Techniques for the Case study.....................................................................4
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................5
References.........................................................................................................................6
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Introduction
Social work theories usually are the explanation which are supported with the evidences that
are obtained via methods of science. Practice theories are the theories which help in the social
work and also in the normal life of people in understanding the behaviour of human beings
and analysing how they are able to cope up with the society and what they are going through
(Morris, Mensink, & Stewart , 2003). The practice models define the way as to how social
workers can implement these theories and help people. In this report, Leah is facing issues
with her personal lifestyle and her behaviour keeps on changing day after day. She needs
some type of treatment and help so that she can live a happy lifestyle. For the practice
theories are discussed in this report as to how Leah can cope up with this problem.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is well known as CBT in short. This is a short term and goal
oriented psychotherapy which helps in understanding the problem and its approach is
practical to problem solving. The main objective of this therapy is to change the patterns of
the behaviour or thinking which refers to the difficulties in an individual’s life such as
sleeping difficulty or problems in relationships, drugs usage or anxieties and depression (Mor
& Haran, 2009). CBT is well known as it is very effective and successful therapy which helps
people for the long-term reliving from the illness. This is a short-term therapy which takes
about 5 to 10 months only to cure people form the emotional problems. Clients attend one
session per week and every session is for about 50 minutes (Johnsen & Friborg, 2015). The
individual facing problems and the therapist both sit together in the sessions to understand the
problems and invent new strategies to tackle those problems. There are a set of principles
which can be applied whenever needed in this therapy.
CBT was invented from the cognitive and the behavioural techniques (Connell, 2010). It
came into picture in 1980’s and it has grown a lot since then into a wide speared range of
clinical conditions. Cummins proposed that clients’ response in a very effective way to CBT
and that is why the application for this therapy had contributed a lot in medical science for
the treatment like anxiety, panic attacks, emotional problems, schizophrenia etc. It was earlier
suggested that CBT should be used in social work and other practices because it is very
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strong and there have been practical events when CBT has proved to be the best therapy of all
other pharmacological treatments.
It’s been suggested that the expansive use of CBT in social work and other clinical practices
is because of the strength of the practical evidence of its usefulness in the treatment of a wide
range of clinical disorders
There are a few principles which are used in CBT for an effective implementation of the
therapy.
 This therapy is based on always evolving formulation of problems that patients face
and also on individual conceptualization of every patient in terms of cognition.
 CBT needs a strong therapeutic alliance (Fenn & Byrne, 2013).
 CBT always focusses on the participation of the patients and it prefers the
participation to be active and whole hearted.
 CBT gives a lot of importance to its goals and is always focusses on the problem.
 CBT is involved in the present and hence, it focusses on the present problems and
issues.
 CBT is educative and it targets the patient so that he can be his own therapist for
future (Beck, 2011).
Application of CBT in Case Study
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is related to the case study of Leah as it focusses on the
changing patterns of Leah’s Behaviour. It was invented on the postulation that the way a
person thinks is very significant for the emotions that he or she has and on the basis of those
emotions, one’s behaviour changes and that is how people can evaluate the cognitive ability
of desired changes and behaviour (Ehde, Dillworth, & Turner, 2014). Moreover, the belied of
the individuals influence the sense a person makes out of the experiences of his life and the
responses in the world they live in. Here in this case study, Leah said that she was very afraid
about how her future is going to be as she did not want to stay with her husband John
anymore and she did not have anywhere else to go. Yet she said that her job was satisfying
her needs as well as made her happy (Huguet, Rao, McGrath, Wozney, & Wheaton, 2016).
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Hence, from the above concern that Leah has shared about worrying about her future was
very contradictory with the information she shared about her job which was well paying and
made her happy. This displays a contradictory behaviour and distorted way of thinking.
Hence, with the application of the CBT, it is easily possible that Leah could evaluate her
thoughts which were negative and she could then focus on the positive things in her life such
as she had two kids to take care of and they were her support and she had a good paying job
as well. She could have given a thought that she was no more stuck in her marriage. Instead
she could take good decisions from her life. She could easily leave her husband John after
realizing that it was not her destiny anymore. She could have been happy by thinking that she
was no more a burden in anybody’s life and the fact that she could afford a good lifestyle
without the support of her husband. CBT also emphasizes on the individual’s thinking which
impacts on the way the individuals live and acts and in the end landing to the mood changes
and emotions ( Freeman, 2005). Hence, CBT is applicable to Leah’s case as it inaugurates the
behaviour of the person and how it generates emotions, changed behaviour and physiological
reactions. Leah said that she was not a good mother and she regret that. She had always been
impatient with her children. She never enjoyed the time with Alex and Dora and resented
sometimes that she has children. CBT would help her out in bringing out her negative
thoughts and will give her a new way of thinking. The stress that Leah was going through
would have reduced a lot. CBT focus on the present as per its principal and that is why it
would have helped Leah improve her present and reduce her anxieties (Luaces, Keefe, &
Derubeis, 2016). In the end, it can be said that CBT would have proven good for Leah in
taking her out of the depression and anxieties and would have given her the confidence to live
her life happily in future.
Strategies and Techniques for the Case study
The techniques which are based on CBT can be linked with the case study easily. A few of
them are:
Empowerment
The main objective of CBT is to empower people to become their own therapists by being
equipped of the tools needed in changing their cognitive and behavioural patterns. Being the
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social worker, the best decision for Leah was to empower her and bring her out of her
negative thought about herself and her low self-confidence (Ackerman, 2017). By giving a
good training and sessions in CBT, it would have been possible to make Leah a better judge
of her own life and empowering her to know by herself as to what is good for her and what is
bad.
Exposure-Based Intervention
These types of interventions were invented for the motivation if the customers for making
them confront about their feared stimulus, to reduce their anxieties and fears that they carry
(Priyamvada, Kumari, Prakash, & Chaudhury, 2009). People tend to avoid their fears and
situations they are in instead of completely changing them. The exposure interventions would
help the people to come out of the situation they do not want to be in anymore by making
them realize how strong they are and what they are capable of doing.
Social Skills Training
Social skills should be induced in people who are facing anxiety and depression as generally
these people do not have any friends and they avoid communicating with normal people.
Leah also has poor communication skills and she had no friends. Leah should have been
encouraged to communicate with her children and office mates so that she could feel good
about letting go of her fears and letting others know about it. Inculcating social skills would
be another strategy.
Conclusion
This report focusses on the case study of Leah who went through a lot of bad things in her
life including her husband’s abuse. When she went for help, the social worker realized that
CBT i.e. cognitive behavioural therapy was good and apt in applying on her case as Leah was
facing anxiety and depression issues which can be removed or reduced by the application of
CBT. This report focus on the application of CBT on Leah’s case and the techniques and
strategies used for the application of CBT.
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References
Huguet, A., Rao, S., McGrath, P. J., Wozney, L., & Wheaton, M. (2016). A Systematic
Review of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Behavioral Activation Apps for
Depression. Systematic Review of CBT and BA Apps for Depression, 11(5).
Beck, J. (2011). The Basic Principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Retrieved May 12,
2018, from pro.psychcentral.com: https://pro.psychcentral.com/the-basic-principles-
of-cognitive-behavior-therapy/
Ehde, D. M., Dillworth, T. M., & Turner, J. A. (2014). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for
Individuals With Chronic Pain. American Psychologist, 69(2), 153-166.
Fenn, K., & Byrne, M. (2013). The key principles of cognitive behavioural therapy.
InnovAiT, 6(9), 579-585.
Mor, N., & Haran, D. (2009). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Depression. The Israel
journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 46(4), 269-273.
Freeman, A. (2005). Encyclopedia of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Retrieved May 12, 2018,
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behavior-therapy.pdf
Johnsen, T. J., & Friborg, O. (2015). The Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as an
Anti-Depressive Treatment is Falling: A Meta-Analysis. Psychological Bulletin.
Connell, C. (2010). COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF
ANXIETY DISORDERS IN CHILDREN. RIVIER ACADEMIC JOURNAL, 6(2).
Ackerman, C. (2017). 25 CBT Techniques and Worksheets for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Retrieved May 12, 2018, from positivepsychologyprogram.com:
https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/cbt-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-techniques-
worksheets/
Luaces, L. L., Keefe, J. R., & Derubeis, R. J. (2016). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Nature
and Relation to Non-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Behavior Therapy, 47(6).
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Morris, E. P., Mensink, D., & Stewart , S. H. (2003). A Brief Cognitive-Behavioral
Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved May 12, 2018, from
http://epsy.tamu.edu/: http://epsy.tamu.edu/sites/epsy.tamu.edu/files/CBGT
%20manual%20for%20social%20anxiety.pdf
Priyamvada, R., Kumari, S., Prakash, J., & Chaudhury, S. (2009). Cognitive behavioral
therapy in the treatment of social phobia. Industrial psychiatry journal, 18(1), 60-63.
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