Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Theoretical Background and Application

This report examines trauma-informed strategies, focusing on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It delves into the theoretical background of CBT, developed by Aaron Beck, and its application in addressing psychological issues. The report highlights how CBT alters thinking patterns and beh...Read More

Running head: TRAUMA-INFORMED STRATEGIES
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Trauma-Informed Strategies
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

TRAUMA-INFORMED STRATEGIES
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Trauma-Informed Strategies
In this assignment, the discussion of theoretical background and practical application of a
cognitive behavioural therapeutic strategy has been discussed. The cognitive behavioural
therapeutic strategy is a short term psychological therapy that is aimed at changing thinking
patterns or behaviour that are brought by individual's hardships. Cognitive behavioural therapy
works by altering individual’s viewpoints as well as their conduct by focusing on attitudes,
thinking and faith that they hold and an individual behaves in a way to deal with psychological
issues. This therapy can take up to ten months for most emotional problems. It is a therapy that
combines psychotherapy and behavioural therapy.
Behavioral therapy aims at the relationship between a person’s hardships as well as
thoughts. In contrast, psychotherapy focuses on the personal meaning we place on things and
how thinking patterns begin during the individual's childhood (Clark et al. 2014). Cognitive-
behavioural therapy came up with a psychiatrist named Aaron Beck in 1964 (Dobson et al.
2010). This was after seeing his patient using an internal dialogue during his analytical sessions.
This was when Aaron noted that feelings and thoughts are connected. He went ahead to invent
the term automatic thoughts that explained emotional ideas that show up in mind. Beck
suggested that some thinking patterns are build up in the childhood of an individual and become
automatically fixed.
Practical application of cognitive behavioral therapeutic is a practice that is used in most
of therapy sessions. Scientist say that practical sessions last longer in brain than theoretical
applications. When someone engages in an action, that process of action engagement tend to
stick in their brain more (Hollon and Beck 2013). This is the most suitable type of therapy

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session for the people that suffer from substance use disorder counseling or even co-occurring
disorder counseling session. This is because teachings last longer in our brains when we practice
them.
Strengths and Limitations of using Cognitive Behavioral Therapeutic
Cognitive-behavioural therapeutic is a practice that has advantages and disadvantages. It
has several advantages. The CBT is useful as the medication treatment and can be of help in
cases where medication cannot work. This therapy can take a short duration compared to other
therapies. An individual's thought is re-trained hence changing their behaviour. The skills learned
in this therapy are helpful in everyday strategies (Center for substance abuse treatment 2015).
This therapy can be offered through different formats, thus meeting a perfect environment for all
people.
This therapy has several disadvantages too. Among them is that it needs total
commitment to the process. This is because a therapist can advise but will not take away your
problems. Also, going for this session adds a bulky of work in an individual’s schedule. It is
because of its structured nature that it can’t suit people with complex mental difficulties.
To conclude, this therapy has been seen useful in several cultural groups; for instance,
research has shown that it has been used in controlled trials on the treatment of refugees
suffering from mental illness. This has risen the need for adopting this therapy in the local
culture. Cognitive-behavioural therapeutic has been used in the treatment of culturally adapted
mental illnesses. Moreover, it is important to understand how culture shapes anxiety and
depression; this helps in intervening culture sensitivity.

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References
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (2015). Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health
Services (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 57). Rockville, MD:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US) Available from:
https://store.samhsa.gov/product/TIP-57-Trauma-Informed-Care-in- Behavioral-Health-
Services/SMA14-4816 (Part 1)
Clark, C., Classen, C. C., Fourt, A., & Shetty, M. (2014). Treating the trauma survivor: An
essential guide to trauma-informed care. Routledge.
Dobson, K. S., & Dozois, D. J. (2010). Historical and philosophical bases of the cognitive-
behavioural therapies. Guilford Press.
Hollon, S. D., & Beck, A. T. (2013). Cognitive and cognitive-behavioural therapies. Bergin and
Garfield's handbook of psychotherapy and behaviour change, 6, 393-442.