Mental Health 101: Self-Harm Coping Strategies

Depression and anxiety are two of the worst mental health conditions that you may suffer from. Not only does it make you feel uncomfortable and uninterested in life, but it also makes you feel unworthy, empty, and unloved. During severe loneliness and void, you often need to end the suffering. That explains why you sometimes think about something that you shouldn’t.

Source: pixabay.com

 

Yes, the thought of self-harm is taboo, and society doesn’t accept the fact that an individual like you would constantly talk about it in the open. Understandably, this can make you feel slightly intimidated and uninterested in sharing your experiences. There’s this fear of judgment and rejection. The thought of people questioning your inability to handle these negative emotions can also play a potential risk for self-destruction. 

Self-harm is a viable coping mechanism for severe emotional distress and feelings of helplessness. It might relieve emotional anguish, diverge from daily life, or help you communicate feelings you find difficult to articulate. You most likely feel better afterward, at least temporarily. However, the unpleasant emotions resurface, and you are compelled to harm yourself once more.

Any intentional harm to oneself is considered self-harm. These include beating oneself or slamming your head, inserting items into your flesh, burning or scorching yourself, and slashing or severely tearing your skin. Rarely, you might ingest harmful materials or unsuitable objects or purposefully stop wounds from healing. Less evident methods of injuring or endangering oneself, such as careless driving, binge drinking, abusing drugs, or engaging in risky sexual behavior, can also be considered forms of self-harm.

Why Do You Commit Self-Harm?

The reasons why individuals engage in self-harm are not predetermined. For each person, it truly might be very different. Some people associate self-harm with certain experiences and use it as a coping mechanism for things that are either occurring now or in the past. For others, the causes can be more elusive and difficult to understand.

You might not always understand why you injured yourself. Some individual’s self-harm behaviors are specifically connected to past trauma. Self-harm is sometimes described as an activity that seeks attention. Comments such as this can make you feel isolated and condemned. As many people don’t disclose their self-harm, it can be not very pleasant to have your actions misinterpreted.

But if you self-harm to draw attention to yourself, keep in mind that it’s acceptable to seek validation and to have your difficulties recognized and addressed seriously. Also, you should receive sympathy from individuals in your immediate vicinity, including medical experts.

Knowing the cycles of self-harm will help you identify what triggers your want to self-harm and identify when it is about to happen. Remember that it helps to think back on what happened after, even if you are helpless to fight the temptation to hurt yourself. You’ll be able to comprehend things more clearly the next time you experience comparable emotions. Try analyzing what you’ve noticed based on it, and here’s how to accomplish it.

Source: pixabay.com

 

Recognize Triggers And Learn How To Manage Them

There are numerous justifications for considering or engaging in self-harm. Nobody knew why it gets habitual at times. However, studies reveal that mental and emotional health issues are connected to a few of the reasons behind this conduct. Among them is your incapacity to deal with emotions such as anger, remorse, nothingness, despair, and self-loathing. It also concerns the need to punish oneself, feel in control, or absolve guilt. Self-harm is sometimes done as a coping mechanism for intense feelings or challenging situations in life or just as a way to feel alive rather than numb.

Regardless of the cause of your self-harm, it’s critical to understand that you can get treatment if you are interested in quitting. You don’t have to harm yourself to find other coping mechanisms with all that’s happening inside of you. Once you know the conditions and triggers, you may take steps to control and overcome them. To begin, try diverting your attention. Try pastimes like reading and listening to music to enjoy some alone time rather than exerting too much effort and energy on hurting yourself all the time. These all offer focus and diversion, which can increase their level of awareness.

You could need to practice emotional awareness if you’re finding it difficult to identify the emotions that set off your cutting impulse. Knowing how and why you are feeling is a sign of emotional awareness. It’s the capacity to recognize, communicate, and comprehend the relationship between your emotions and behavior in an instant. Though our bodies provide useful knowledge through our feelings, emotions do not always translate into self-harming or cutting behaviors.

Communicate In Whatever Way You Feel Most Comfortable

Confiding in someone else is an initial step towards receiving assistance if you’ve decided to stop cutting or self-harm. It can be frightening to open up about something you have been trying so diligently to conceal, but it can also be an immense relief when you finally let go of the burden and discuss what you’re dealing with. Consider initiating the conversation via an email, text, or letter if you’re too apprehensive to speak in person—although it’s crucial to continue a face-to-face discussion later. Feel free to withhold information that you are not comfortable discussing. It’s not required that you reveal your wounds to them or respond to any inquiries that make you uncomfortable.

Opening up can be tough for you, but it can also be tough for the individual you tell—especially if that someone is a close friend, family member, counselor, teacher, or religious leader. There are situations when you might not like how someone responds. Remember that feelings of shock, rage, and terror are expressions of care for you. Searching for the best person or individuals you share it with might be helpful. The more knowledgeable they are about self-harm, the more equipped they will be to help you.

It might be challenging to decide whom to trust with such sensitive details. Select a companion who will not engage in gossip or attempt to manage your healing process. Consider someone in your life gives you a sense of acceptance and encouragement. However, you are not required to select a close friend or relative. Starting with someone you respect—a teacher, church leader, or psychologist, for example—who has some additional perspective on the circumstance and is unlikely to perceive it challenging to be impartial may sometimes be the easiest course of action.

Source: pixabay.com

 

Focus On Your Feelings

Managing self-harm can elicit strong emotions and be quite distressing. Don’t get discouraged if the problem worsens for a brief period. Once you realize your feelings’ importance, you can get past it. Long-standing detrimental behaviors are difficult to break, particularly if you are numb to the psychological and mental suffering that self-harm causes. But things will start to get better if you overcome these initial obstacles.

In some complex situations, making selections based more on emotions than facts may result in superior choices. Consider your feelings as well as your thoughts while making a decision. Your feelings have a lot of power. You can interact with people, flourish, and survive with their assistance. Additionally, they can serve as a guide for your actions, motivations, and decisions. They can also assist you in handling challenging circumstances and events and develop sensible solutions. By concentrating on your emotions, you can better recognize how you can manage them rather than allowing them to take control over you.

It may seem scary to you to consider being aware of your feelings instead of numbing them or letting them out by self-harm. You might worry that the agony will consume you or that it will never go away. However, if you allow them to, feelings can change swiftly. Feelings dissipate quickly and are replaced by other emotions if you never try to battle, criticize, or beat yourself up over them. The feeling only lasts as long as you give it your whole attention.

Find New Coping Techniques

Self-harm is your coping mechanism for uncomfortable emotions and challenging circumstances. You need to have coping mechanisms in place if you’re going to stop so you can react appropriately when you feel like harming yourself. You can doodle, paint, or sketch on a large sheet of paper. In addition, you can compose poems or songs to communicate your emotions, keep a notebook to record your sentiments, tear up any bad feelings you write down, listen to music, and internalize your ideas.

It’s critical to concentrate on self-care in addition to self-harm management. Try taking a hot bath or shower to help you relax if you’re feeling agitated. Get a dog or cat to pet or snuggle with if you’re lucky enough to have an animal companion. If you need to lie down and enjoy the time alone, you can cover yourself in a warm blanket or indulge yourself with a relaxing massage on your neck, hands, and feet. You can run, dance, hop rope, or strike a punching bag as an intense exercise. If all else fails and you require more coping mechanisms, look for self-help websites, chat rooms, or message boards online.

Insight

Keep in mind that self-harm doesn’t happen in a space. It is a real thing. It’s an external manifestation of internal suffering that frequently stems from early life experiences. IfIf your self-harming behaviors are serious and you cannot manage them, you must get professional help. You might think about speaking with a therapist if you would like the assistance and support of a qualified expert in helping you break the self-harming habit. In addition to helping you identify the underlying causes of your self-harm, a therapist may assist you in creating new coping mechanisms and ways to quit self-harming.

The Benefits Of REBT For Anxiety

Targeting unreasonable, self-destructive ideas that cause emotional tension, self-sabotage, and unfavorable life results is the goal of rational emotive behavior therapy or REBT. These ideas are refuted and replaced with reasoned, grounded thought that promotes self-actualization and a happier outlook on life. In addition, self-acceptance is emphasized by REBT, irrespective of one’s status or achievements.

Source: pixabay.com

 

Rational Emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) is a practical method that aims to assist individuals in overcoming illogical beliefs and learning more realistic, healthy ways to control their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Irrational views about the world or oneself might lead to issues. With the goal of overcoming psychological issues and mental discomfort, REBT assists individuals in identifying and changing these beliefs and harmful thought patterns.

How Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy Works

It’s important to examine individuals’ beliefs about these occurrences and any feelings that follow from those beliefs in order to comprehend the effects of the events and circumstances that people meet in life. REBT’s primary objective is to assist individuals in reacting logically to circumstances that might ordinarily result in tension, despair, or other unpleasant emotions. The emotionally healthy thing to do in a circumstance like this in the years to come would be to acknowledge that expecting achievement on every attempt is unrealistic. All you need to do is take what you can from the experience and move on.

It’s simpler to access feelings from the present than from the past. People may interact with the method and discover their feelings more easily. REBT assists you in resolving challenging emotions, managing aggressiveness, breaking bad behaviors, and stopping procrastination. Emotions like guilt, worry, sadness, and rage can lead to undesirable conduct. Multiple studies have supported this psychotherapy approach’s efficiency. When used appropriately, REBT can be a useful therapeutic tool, according to research. A professional therapist can assist a person in realizing that the outcomes are not the result of the initiating event. Rather, the unfavorable response results from the person’s perceptions, emotions, and ideas around the incident.

Identifying the fundamental assumptions that cause psychological suffering is a crucial stage in the therapeutic counseling approach. Experiencing excessive upset over the mistakes or misdeeds of others is one of the most typical irrational beliefs dealt with in rational emotive behavior therapy. There is a misconception that to be respected and valuable, one must always be extremely skilled and successful in all that they do. It is nearly hard to react in a psychologically healthy way to situations that activate you when you hold such unwavering convictions. Having strict standards for yourself and others will only cause regret, guilt, disappointment, and worry.

Source: pixabay.com

 

The Benefits Of REBT

Enhances Problem-Solving Skills

Turning on an event facilitates better problem-solving management. It entails determining whether the circumstances you find yourself in align with your aspirations. This can entail confidence, interpersonal abilities, problem-solving, and handling conflicts. Solving problems, for instance, can let you recognize that unexpected events occur for various causes. The tasks you must complete take time, or the ones you were expected to get call for a lot of attention. REBT can help you see the connection between your objectives and how you will get there. The treatment concentrates on your capacity to recognize what is happening, adjust to the changes, and assess the problem of a specific situation.

Promotes Cognitive Restructuring

It shows you how to view the triggering event from an alternative perspective. In addition to confronting unreasonable ideas, use sarcasm, comedy, reasoning, or rephrasing the situation. For instance, in marriage, you and your partner don’t have to be unworthy if you embrace the potential that the other person isn’t interested. If you look at things logically, you might realize that the two of you weren’t meant to be together. This method focuses on the feelings accompanying negative ideas and transforms them into a concept more aligned with encouraging recognition. It helps you challenge the reasoning behind your thought processes.

Assists With Coping Strategies

You can learn coping mechanisms from REBT to deal with the fallout from illogical thinking. Similarly, hypnosis, relaxation, and meditation can be employed. Instead of using unhealthy coping strategies, you employ these fresh ways to cope to support your general mental and physical well-being. Either by itself or in conjunction with other forms of treatment, REBT can help treat anxiety disorders. This approach puts the mental health professional in a leading role, allowing you to examine your feelings and ideas and come to solutions with the support of a therapist. For REBT to succeed, dedication and effort are prerequisites for personal progress.

Managing Emotions

Some individuals may find REBT to be unpleasant. It can be challenging to overcome illogical thoughts. Thankfully, it trains individuals how to control their emotions on their own. This expedites the healing process. REBT emphasizes action over more passive talk therapy. It assists in recognizing self-defeating ideas and emotions, contesting the nature of illogical and counterproductive emotions, and swapping them out with more constructive, wholesome beliefs. Be aware that in cases of severe psychiatric disorders where physiological issues are the underlying cause of the disorder, REBT may not be helpful.

Understanding Negative Behavior

Emotion and emotional disorders in humans are determined by cognition. Events might stir up strong emotions, but they don’t always make us happy or unhappy. Our attitudes and harmful actions regarding psychopathology and an irrational approach to life are shaped by a variety of variables. These variables include family history, cultural backgrounds, life situations from the past, and more. To alter psychological and behavioral discomfort or disruption, REBT encourages improved thought analysis, particularly if illogical belief processes play a significant role in psychological and emotional breakdown. Since they help you respond appropriately and give your emotional intelligence more depth, healthy negative emotions are, in fact, essential to the human experience. It’s important to distinguish between constructive and destructive negative feelings, though.

Helps Manage Conflicts

If you’re experiencing depression as a result of a disagreement in your romantic relationship or any other type of social interaction with family, friends, coworkers, or classmates, a rational emotive behavior professional therapist can assist you in determining the trigger for your issue before guiding you to determine which beliefs caused your unfavorable emotions. After that, they would collaborate with you to alter those convictions and, eventually, your emotional reaction to the disagreement. The REBT procedure aims to help you and the other person resolve disagreements and comprehend beneficial techniques for enhancing health and teamwork.

Source: pixabay.com

 

How To Find The Right Help?

Establishing your therapy objectives is frequently the first phase in finding a professional to help you. This helps determine the kind of therapy or therapist most benefits you. Asking your medical professional for recommendations is a good place to start after you have their broad goals stated. Alternatively, you can look up nearby specialists or therapists online or ask their insurance company for assistance locating medical professionals inside its network. If you discover that the therapist you are seeing is not the best fit for you for any reason, you should look for another one whom you feel more connected and comfortable with.

Choose The Type Of Therapy That Fits Your Needs

Different professionals specialize in different therapy modalities. Examine the profiles of therapists to determine if their areas of expertise match your needs. Working with your selected therapist will be simpler as a result. But before attempting to receive any therapy treatment, make sure you have the correct diagnosis. To decide what will and won’t support your mental health needs, you must first understand your problem.

Figure Out Your Budget To Avoid Financial Issues

Counseling can be expensive at times. Your willingness to pay for your sessions should be clear to you. Several price ranges are offered for therapy sessions. Regarding your financial situation, make sure you know the benefits and drawbacks of therapy. Spend some time learning more about the healthcare advantages your local government offers. Apply for insurance coverage as well. Insurance policies may assist with treatment costs if all conditions are satisfied.

Ask Friends And Family For Suggestions And Recommendations

For therapy referrals, you can consult your friends and relatives. They most likely have connections to people who can assist you with your issue. Additionally, these recommendations and referrals can assist in focusing your search and allow you to determine whether the treatment is truly beneficial to you. You also save the trouble of manually looking up information by asking for references. Knowing where you’re going and where you want to start can save time, energy, money, and transportation.

Taking Time To Consider A Trial And Error Process

Occasionally, you may not get along well with the first mental health professional or therapist you see. Look for another therapist without hesitation if this occurs. If your therapist does not align with your values and objectives, it’s best to terminate the relationship. Remember that you may not feel compelled to disclose or participate in the procedure if you are uncomfortable with your therapist or healthcare provider. In light of this, make sure you work together with your licensed therapist. Search for another one without hesitation if not.

Final Thoughts

Recognizing unreasonable ideas and how they impact the present is a key component of REBT. You can effectively process your negative feelings if you work with the appropriate therapist. But remember that striving for a better recovery will also require work. Because if you cannot adhere to the fundamentals of the therapy process, no amount of promising REBT or highly skilled therapists will be of any value.

 

FAQs

How does REBT help with anxiety?
What are the interventions for anxiety?
What does REBT help clients deal primarily with?
How effective is REBT therapy?
Who can benefit from REBT therapy?
What is the main purpose of using emotive techniques in REBT?
What kind of therapy is best for anxiety?
Can anxiety be controlled naturally?
What is cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety?
How many sessions does REBT take?
What makes REBT most different from other counseling theories is?
Does REBT work with everyone?
Who is REBT recommended for?
What are the limitations of REBT?
Is REBT effective for depression?

Enhancing EQ Through Therapy

 

Source: emra.org

Emotional intelligence or EQ is not something that someone cannot possess. All of us are instilled with some amount of it. You may have an inherently high EQ, while your friend may require more improvement through training or further education. Apparently, therapy does benefit others who want to strengthen their emotional intelligence.

 

How Is EQ Measured?

 

Emotional intelligence may be measured through different tests. As with IQ or Intelligence Quotient, the usual grade for EQ is also 100. This means that if you have a high score, you are more emotionally intelligent. A person with a grade of 110 and higher is basically said to have a high emotional quotient score.

 

Having a below-average score for EQ doesn’t necessarily conclude that the individual has no emotions or that he is unkind. The individual can increase his score through education and practice.

 

Therapy may be beneficial when an individual wants to better comprehend and improve emotional intelligence. Through therapy, he can improve his capacity to acknowledge and decipher his own feelings. As he gradually grows to become more aware of his emotions, he can train how to react to those emotions constructively. For instance, instead of having outbursts when he is furious, an individual can pinpoint his disappointment as it increases and finds ways to pacify it before speaking.

 

Self-aware plays a key role in EQ, although building compassion for other people is also significant. Several therapists teach their clients to be more aware of the feelings of other people. In therapy, a client may develop social skills like making adjustments to their body language or judging people’s feelings through facial expressions. Some therapists also assist a client in practicing small talk in a judgment-free zone. Training for emotional intelligence can be particularly beneficial to individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome.

Source: mei.edu

Therapy, specifical psychotherapy, tackles each part using Goleman’s mixed Emotional Quotient model. Below is a list of ways that therapy enhances emotional intelligence and other important skills.

 

Therapeutic connections enlighten ways of fixing emotional distress and conflict, permitting a person to build more lasting connections. As with other relationships, therapeutic connections need the effort to maintain and enhance. Misunderstandings and conflicts certainly occur in psychotherapy, and every conflict is a perfect opportunity to enhance your skills in conflict resolution.

 

People learn ways on asking for their personal needs to be accomplished and may uncover the audacity that they require to express their frustration when their therapist is not capable of doing so. This process of learning helps develop the energy and resilience needed to enhance their connections out of the office or workplace setting. This subsequently enhances emotional intelligence.

 

Therapy helps increase self-awareness of your emotions and polishes your empathy skills. The more a person improves his self-awareness through his therapy sessions, the more he is able to learn to recognize the complexities of others as well. Letting go of hatred toward others leads to healing. You realize that you are capable of forgiving others in spite of their flaws. In the process, you are also able to increase your ability to build connections with others regardless of their differences.

 

Dealing with emotional matters by talking aloud with someone – or our therapist – allows for instantaneous responses to your cognition and illuminates your weaknesses and strengths. Often, others belittle the power of having to share your most personal emotions and viewpoints with someone. Therapy can give a person an influential experience emotionally, clarifying the ways by which you see yourself and others. When you go through tests and trials in the course of therapy, there’s an available person that can possibly provide you with feedback. This connection you have with your therapist clarifies the things that you do best and pinpoints areas that need more growth.

Source: trainerslibrary.org

 

Going through therapy may help one learn self-regulation techniques that enhance one’s emotional control. This is achieved in several ways. Fundamentally, a therapist can teach you techniques such as muscle relaxation or breathing exercises to build your ability to manage tough feelings. The therapist also assists you in finding things that can be helpful in tackling challenging emotions. In a lot of ways, therapy gives you a very inspiring opportunity to look for and learn more effective coping strategies.

 

Tackling your emotional distress improves symptoms and produces energy that you can utilize to motivate you to accomplish your goals. As you deepen your working connection with your therapist, most of the issues that have pushed you to go into therapy improve or get better. Emotional energy increases are released from those negative or counter-productive cycles. The change of your distress into something that’s become easier to manage improves your chances of feeling more relevant. You start to feel happier and more passionate. Subsequently, the inspiration that you need to accomplish your goals is rekindled, and you get all the energy that you require to live a successful and content life.

 

 

 

Therapy Comparison: REBT And CBT

 

Source: medium.com

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) was first presented in 1955 by Albert Ellis, and it caused a tremendous alteration from the common types of therapies during that period. It then catalyzed several sub-therapies, which were typically referred to as cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. Cognitive behavioral therapy and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy complement in different ways. Primarily, both REBT and CBT’s man concept entails human behaviors and emotions that are mostly produced by thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints – not by occurrences themselves. Hence, modifying one’s thoughts results in behavioral and emotional changes.

However, in this article, we will be focusing on the main distinctions or disparities between the two therapies.

  1. REBT involves showcasing excellent solutions to problems regarding self-confidence. This is called the USA or Unconditional Self-Acceptance. It demonstrates absolute self-acceptance instead of some kind of self-assessment. Most therapists handling CBT emphasize reinforcing their patients’ self-confidence by boosting their good qualities. This approach has a lot of drawbacks, which include having decreased self-confidence when you behave negatively. The patient then becomes afraid of taking risks, struggles with proving his point, or is narrowly satisfied with himself.

 

  1. Unconditional Self-Acceptance and evading the self-assessment setup avoids a multitude of difficulties with self-assessment or self-rating. USA entails the absolute acceptance of oneself as the flawed person that you are regardless of your performance or if other people love you or not. If you lose your job, for instance, score your employment performance as insignificant but certainly not oversimplify to say that you are a useless person. You are capable of assessing your negative qualities and emphasizing ways to do better next time.

 

  1. REBT tackles the moral foundations of emotional disruption and misleading thoughts, which is the main focus of cognitive behavioral therapy, making REBT more prevailing. When a person displaces his autocratic requests, his distorted thoughts are amended.

Source: acneeinstein.com

Let’s assume that you have plans to ask a friend to go on a date and you feel really nervous about it. You begin to think, “She didn’t notice me yesterday even if I was right in front of her. She’s probably going to refuse me.” Because there are various rationalizations for your friend’s actions, most of which you do not know if you just look at her behavior, cognitive behavioral therapy refers to this statement as simply ‘reading the mind,’ subsequently negating it as a biased thought. Rather, REBT sees the primary reason that you hastily came up with this decision, like telling yourself that you definitely require your friend’s acceptance. If she refuses you, it would be really terrible and ‘It would only show how much of a loser I am and that I’m a failure with women.”

 

Consequently, yielding your demand for recognition wouldn’t only enhance your worries of being refused or denied in the future but also in essentially all social relations. Utilizing CBT to prevent mind-reading most probably becomes more restricted. REBT suggests three primary demands driving one’s disrupted thoughts and fundamental emotional disruption:

  • “As I intensely desire to, I definitely should do better in all my endeavors and be acknowledged by others instead of being a loser.”
  • “Because I strongly want it, other people should be good to me – if not then they are useless.”
  • “As I vehemently need it, life must continue and be as best as it can be, or else it is worthless.”

These requests all harbor guilt, stress, worry, procrastination, despair, and bitterness. This basic but complex ethical solution entails absolute acknowledgment (unconditional acceptance) – unconditionally recognizing yourself including your imperfections, unconditionally acknowledging other people along with their flaws, and accepting life’s challenges, including its troubles, inequities, and inconveniences.

 

  1. REBT focuses on the relevance of secondary disturbance. Unsettling yourself regarding your uproars is frequently a big issue in longstanding depression, panic episodes, and extreme anxiety. A lot of therapies that are cognitive-based do not recognize secondary disturbance. For instance, you feel nervous about asking someone out. You are actually feeling anxious about feeling anxious.

 

  1. REBT stresses that all forms of anger have an autocratic, ethical, judging, and commanding basis. This is contrary to the concept of CBT, where anger is viewed as fitting and healthy. It is often communicated as, “others should definitely be good to me – if not, they are worthless and deserve to go to hell.” This viewpoint is wicked, unconstructive, and occasionally rather hurtful. Even in its more insignificant forms, this viewpoint is incorrect. REBT conveys effective problem-solving, decisiveness, and other suitable options for fury or bitterness. CBT also instills confidence but it does not effectively displace the original cause of anger.

Source: pixabay.com

  1. REBT is distinct from other cognitive-based therapies in terms of distinguishing between essential adverse emotions versus unsuitable, self-destructive ones. Despair, anger, and worry are examples of the second form and profound sadness, misery, and bitterness are examples of the first form.

Let’s say you feel a bit worried about getting late. This is not a helpful adverse emotion because it is based on severe, unconditional perception communicated as demands (should, must, etc.). Otherwise, if you are extremely miserable, melancholic, or depressed because you lost someone you love, these adverse emotions are appropriate. They are rooted in fervent longings like, “I truly wish I had not lost my loved one.”

The reasons mentioned and explained above prove that rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is inclined to be shorter than cognitive behavior therapy.

 

 

Top Most Reasons Teens Go To Therapy

It is no surprise that counselors, family therapy experts, and other mental health professionals often have issues with talk or group therapy sessions, especially if it involves patients in their adolescent years. These individuals believe that talking with a mental health provider is a waste of time, energy, and effort. The truth is that a session with a mental health professional is very beneficial for the youth. Yes, the best online advice can already be searched through the internet, but it is still advisable to seek face-to-face consultations with a medical health professional. When you’re feeling down most of the time and you feel a heavy weight of emotion on your shoulder, it is not enough when you just confide and talk with your friends, parents, or family. If the feeling is persistent and eventually becomes destructive, you must visit a professional.  Don’t let it linger for too long. Let your professional mental care provider know.  In this article, we have compiled several occasions when kids visit their mental healthcare provider.

Top Reasons Teens Go To Therapy – Here’s Why

 

 student seeking help with a mental health professional
Source: pixabay.com

Reasons Why Teens Go To Therapy

What are the reasons teens go to therapy? Teen therapy can provide teens facing psychological health problems and legal problems or who struggle with skill deficits, self-confidence, sexual identity, and romantic relationships with self-awareness. Therapy can also increase health resilience and reduce the impact a traumatic event has on a teen’s life like a loss of a loved family member or a close friend. It is important to seek help when dealing with mental health and legal problems, as they can have serious consequences if not addressed properly. Teen therapy or teen counseling is also beneficial in helping boost a teen’s self-esteem and confidence levels. This type of therapy for teens can help teens experience relief from minor issues and gain life-lasting skills.

There are many types of therapy for cognitive behavioral, families & individuals, dialectical, and many others aimed at helping individuals with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and other mental problems they are going through. Aside from that, kids of therapy are also available such as online therapy, group therapy, and even family therapy.

That explains why most experts can’t seem to accomplish their treatment sessions and are constantly worrying when teens seek therapy. But the issue is not entirely exclusive since some professionals also commit mistakes in giving professional medical advice. So when something goes off, it’s not always because of teens’ behavioral problems. It is essential to realize that counseling works hand-in-hand with the patient and the professional therapist — the medical advice won’t do much if the patient himself is not motivated enough to apply it. Read more about the reasons teens go to treatment therapy.

Reasons For Therapy In Teens

Understand and communicate privacy on mental health issues. Often in most cases, counselors cannot establish a good relationship with teens because teens struggle to understand and talk about a variety of issues. Many teens even present with aggressive behavior issues and mood swings, and this becomes a serious problem when they seek therapy. Furthermore, counselors make mistakes by assuming that all adolescents are flexible and can easily adapt to the changing environment or a traumatic event.

However, a teen’s life should not be taken for granted. While some of them are quite mature and capable of acknowledging their fast-paced involvement, others have self-confidence issues and still need to learn skills to figure out the state of their well-being. Also, teens are prone to peer pressure and don’t always make the right decisions, this is why they often resort to alcohol abuse, underage drinking, or even self-harm. Counselors can be guilty of not letting a teen cope in his own time, worsening his medical condition. It could be an effective treatment method if the counselor allows for a deep understanding of why teens seek professional help.

Again, in most instances, some counselors live up to the idea that their patients should comply with the procedure of counseling, that regardless of age and sexual orientation, everyone should:

1) Express their thoughts and feelings about their mental disorder and be honest about them.

2) Spend more time talking about self-esteem issues, school problems, relationship issues, etc. regardless if the information is significant for the process or not.

3) Commit to the treatment plan that counselors prepare without understanding the reason for their psychological health condition, behavior problems, academic failure, or ultimately why they seek therapy.

4) Comply with the requirements, particularly with early intervention, despite not getting the best out of the counseling session. Some counselors think that teenagers are capable of doing things when instructed to them. They don’t realize that, unlike adults, a teen’s problems can be as complicated as adults’ problems as well.

 

here are reasons why teens have therapy, check this out and find out whether you also need to get therapy
Source: pixabay.com

Therapy For Self-Esteem In Teens

Unfortunately, in some counseling sessions for behavior problems or mood disorders, when the counselors feel like they are not getting any possible outcome or do not see any future advancement with their individual therapy sessions, they end up quitting after a few sessions. As a result, some counselors are unable to help the teen learn new social skills and get over the traumatic events he has gone through. These counselors fail to motivate their teen patients to acquire treatment and get an accurate diagnosis for their mental illness. Hence, their self-confidence is still low, and their anxiety disorders have not been alleviated or improved. Sadly, it is not because they can’t, but because they, too, get exhausted and pressured.

Yes, there is no point in blaming these professional experts since they are also human. However, choosing the field requires more than just accomplishing the instant result. Counselors fail because they believe that sacrificing their time, effort, and energy is unfair when the process gets too daunting. In the case of a young adolescent tried for sexual assault, for example, and diagnosed with anxiety disorder, substance abuse, and serious self-esteem issues. The substance abuse counselor must help the teen learn how to decrease his intense anxiety through various techniques. It is not easy, though, as many teens suffering from substance abuse issues have more serious problems and have failing grades in school. If the counselor is not strong-willed and committed, then he may refer this patient to another counselor or recommend residential treatment.

One of the key components of mental wellness is going to therapy. Therapy can help children and teens identify underlying worries that could put them at higher risk for mental disorders, social problems, and trouble if left untreated. Stress and anxiety, if left unaddressed, can lead to more serious psychological problems like depression or substance abuse. Going to therapy is important in order to prevent minor issues from becoming more serious in a sense and to benefit everyday life.

Establish Connection Among Them

There are some cases in counseling where teens feel uncomfortable and insecure (due to low self-esteem) whenever they are with their counselors. Actually, there is a reason behind that. Most of them struggle with anxiety disorders due to bullying and peer pressure. Sometimes, they often get stuck with different ideas, and their reality seems different from everyone else. When counselors fail to establish a connection with these young adolescents, they get caught up in the negative approach. The problem with that is due to the range of individuals that counselors often talk to. The latest evidence-based research suggests that since most of the time, they communicate openly with adults, counselors sometimes struggle to deal with teens who have low self-esteem. As a result, they copy the adult counseling process and test if it will work with their teen patients.

counseling for youngsters, a mental health counselor giving advice to a student
Source: pixabay.com

Recognize Different Developmental Periods

Another issue with counseling that not everybody understands is the different developmental periods required for healing and recovery. Some counselors make mistakes when they assume mentally and emotionally unstable adolescents who went to counseling will immediately recover from substance abuse issues or other problems. But that is an obvious mistake since not all teenagers can fully grasp the process. Some counselors are intolerant that they can’t wait for their adolescent patients to get better and pass them to another healthcare provider stating that their condition is “severe.” Sadly, some counselors wouldn’t like to spend more days, weeks, and years with some of their patients, believing it to be an unfavorable situation.

Therapy can be an important step in managing mental health symptoms. By talking to a professional therapist, you can identify underlying issues that may have caused problematic behaviors and work towards resolving them in adulthood. Other reasons include the fact that therapy is beneficial for recognizing the root causes of any bad things that might be happening in life and developing normal ways to cope with them more effectively.

Develop Perspective And A Healthier Lifestyle Within A Family System

Counseling is a method of figuring out ways to cope with life stressors accompanying different emotional and mental struggle types and helps teens and adults deal with life issues. The whole idea of mental health counseling is sharing ordeals with someone knowledgeable about the coping mechanisms that are somewhat unavailable for the teen patients’ understanding. Some counselors do not intend to look beyond the teenagers’ struggles and would back off a little bit if it concerns family involvement. Not all counselors are willing to take risks in understanding their adolescent patients’ family systems.

FAQs

What Type Of Therapy Works Best For My Teen?

What Are The Psychological Aspects That Affect A Teen?

Is Low Self-Esteem Common Among Teenagers? Why?

How Do You Know That Your Teenager Has Gone Through Trauma?

Does Therapy Help Most Teens With Depression?

Important Tips On Getting The Most Of Your Therapy Benefits

Getting the most out of your therapy sessions? How do you know you’re getting good therapy for your mental health? Getting your money’s worth for every therapy session is a collaborative effort between you and your therapist. It requires an open and honest approach where you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts and emotions; it takes time. Finding the right therapist who specializes in your specific concerns is crucial. Together, you can establish clear goals for therapy and work towards achieving them. By actively participating in the sessions each time, asking questions, and seeking clarification, you can deepen your understanding, therefore getting the most out of therapy sessions.

Source: istockphotos.com

Attending Your First Session, Going Through The Process, & Completion Of Therapy

Attending your first session in a week can be nerve-wracking, but it is important to remember that you are in a safe environment. Thus, you should not feel pressured. Your new therapist may ask questions about your concerns or issues so they can better understand how to give you immediate support. During the next session, the therapist will provide information regarding the services rendered outside of the nearest emergency room. It is important that when you visit a therapist on regular check-ins, you know your set boundaries and feel comfortable sharing personal information.

We all know that it can sometimes be hard to reach out to someone, especially with relationship issues or difficult emotions. And even if we view therapy or counseling as a treatment option, everything about it can be and feel exhausting, time-consuming, and expensive. There is a lot to talk about in therapy, thus, it is important to maximize our time with every session. But since we have to try our best to work and attain personal growth and good health, we have to rely on its effectiveness even if initially we will sometimes feel uncomfortable. The following are things you can do to get the most out of your therapy.

Be Selective With Your Mental Professional – Choose Someone Who Suits You Well

When it comes to our emotional and mental health, making real progress is crucial. So in finding a good mental professional we want to work with, we have to learn a lot of tips for our mental health care. Don’t just settle with anyone, find the right therapist that can help you truly.  Instead, find someone who can establish a good connection with you if you don’t feel that after a few therapy sessions, then it would be difficult to establish a strong therapeutic relationship. Find a therapist that can provide you with the right services that you’ll need and will make you feel comfortable and serve as a safe space. The therapy process is usually not a short one, so choosing the right therapist is just the first step towards stepping to mental health progress.

Also, it is essential to note that despite the therapy sessions merely focusing on expression, the whole therapy session should not have to be just like chatting with a friend or someone close to us. Talk therapy, for instance, entails having a deeper understanding of why you are in need of a good therapist and how you can also help your therapist instill positive changes in you throughout your therapy journey. Nevertheless, it is okay to consult a few counselors and other mental health professionals, and we shouldn’t feel guilty about it. We need to realize that therapy practice works first and foremost when we have a strong relationship with our therapist, licensed psychologist, or licensed clinical social worker. After all, it is important for us to optimize your session to improve and be satisfied with our day-to-day life experiences without compromising our comfort zone. There are a lot to be learned in therapy.

Research shows that when it comes to maximizing your therapy, one must go into it with a sense of an open mind and an open world. It is important to discuss your expectations and goals with your therapist so that they can properly assess what services may be a good fit for you. Beginning, talking, and tracking progress is essential in achieving successful outcomes, and a good therapist will take the time to reflect, assess, and provide advice to help you reach your goals. It is also important to expect and make sure that the therapist’s office schedule works with yours. If there is a disconnect between the two, it may be difficult to maintain future regular appointments, which can lead to setbacks in progress.

 

Source: pixabay.com

Be Honest Every Session & Be More Transparent With Your Psychologist

One way we can get the best out of therapy is by putting everything on the line. We seek therapy because we have some issues that we cannot solve alone and that is perfectly acceptable. To get through the possible resolution of those emotional and mental health burdens, we must embrace honesty so that it’ll be fair game. Yes, we will struggle to talk about our chronic illness, panic attacks, devastating life experience, or simply the most authentic self-exploration. It is because some might be too personal or hurtful even to remember. But we have to be prepared, as it is the therapist’s job to come up with a better treatment plan and medical advice for our well-being. If in case you are not so favorable of your therapist’s approach, then you should let your therapist know. Therapy sessions should be smooth and enriching as you stay focused. Many clients who feel that they have not seen growth after a few therapy sessions do find a different therapist, and that is not illegal at all. You are free to do so.

To get the most out of your therapy, it is important to feel safe and comfortable in the therapeutic environment where the session will happen. It should be a place where you can talk or exercise freely about any worry or challenges you might be struggling with without fear of judgment and trust that the therapist will help guide you towards healthier thinking habits and communication skills.

To experience the most out of therapy sessions, we must work together with our therapist or mental health counselor and figure out what is holding us back. It would help if we could find a therapist with whom we can be as open as possible about what specific challenge we are dealing with in our everyday life, what issues we want to resolve, and how we can find a way to heal and recover fully. Hence, we must approach therapy with an open heart and mind. It’s more effective if you show your therapist the real you. It is essential to note that a therapist cannot read our minds. So it is our duty to do everything we need to share our thoughts and feelings honestly, especially if there’s something we don’t feel comfortable about.

A therapist must know his patient, whether it be through group therapy, individual therapy, online therapy, or family therapy session.

Counseling can automatically become a waste of time, hard work, effort, and money when there are no clear or possible positive experiences. Thus, it is significant that our chosen counselor is knowledgeable enough to assist us with our mental and emotional problems to get the most out of each session time. Obviously, not all professionals are aware of what we are going through. But as much as we put the effort to open up about our mental and emotional crises, the counselor should also exert an effort to figure out how to help us and not just babble in the therapy room and pile up things that we should and shouldn’t do. He must also be an active participant.

Align With The Counselor’s Knowledge In Determining Symptom Relief

When trying to get the most out of our therapy sessions, even from our first appointment, our efforts at trying to be honest with a stranger should have aligned with our counselor’s knowledge in determining our symptoms. During therapy, our therapist will clearly explain why we are stressed, anxious, and depressed and not just list a couple of things that he thinks are our problems. Most therapists explain to a family member how each therapy session will go. This is how we can start a trustworthy relationship with our doctors.

 

person providing another with support
Source: pixabay.com

Achieving something good in a counseling session is everyone’s dream because, as we know it, some counselors or therapists would only care about the amount of money they will get from us (If you meet this kind of professional, it would be best to terminate therapy as soon as possible). The whole counseling or therapy process should entail some goal-setting and follow-up procedures. For example, if you are seeking help for your panic attacks, this should be dealt with during our first appointment and then assessed in the last therapy session. Otherwise, we won’t have any clue whether we’ll come out successful.  Therapy sessions should be interactive, inspiring, and meaningful. Start your journey now!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Most Essential Component Of An Effective Therapy?

What Is The Most Famous Type Of Treatment Program?

What Is The Long-Term Objective Of The Therapeutic Approach?

What Qualities Tell That A Therapist Is Effective?

How Can A Professional Foster A Productive Relationship With His Clients?

How Does A Person Know That He Is Benefiting From His Sessions?

How Would You Know If You’re No Longer Benefiting From The Session?

Does The Session Differ For Different Types Of Mental Conditions?

Why Do Other Clients Do Better In Treatment Than Others?

What Makes The Treatment Process Challenging?

What Can Help You Get From Therapy?

Why Am I Feeling Worse After The Treatment?

How Long Do Some Patients Stay In Therapy?

Is It OK To Have Therapy Every Day?

How Do You Know When It’s Time To Stop Therapy?

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Classical Conditioning Psychology

I am not that interested in any psychology subjects. I find it too boring and too broad, so I don’t pay much attention to each lesson. I wouldn’t say I like the subject because I never genuinely care about a person’s personality and how psychology understands and describes it. I am not eager to learn about psychology because it is usually all about these doctors and psychologists that I am sure I would not remember once I graduate.

But before I finally convinced myself that psychology for me is a dead-end, things changed when I attended a class for my best friend. I wasn’t supposed to be there. I just entered the psychology class because I had to be present for the subject on behalf of my friend. At first, I wouldn’t say I liked the idea. That is because aside from me not liking psychology class, I would have to pretend to be “her” for the next couple of hours.

Source: pixabay.com

But when the lesson started, I got hooked from the very beginning. The topic was all about classical conditioning, which seems pretty interesting because it focused on understanding human behavior. Stupidly, I thought that humans behave based on their will. But classical conditioning made a point when it showed me how the environment affects humans’ conditioned and unconditioned responses.

What is a good example of classical conditioning? 

One of the good examples of classical conditioning is when you hear a notification sound on the phone. Whenever we are around with someone and hear their phone ringing like yours, we reflexively begin to reach our mobile device. The phone notification serves as a stimulus, while what your body does is an unconditional behavioral response. Another example is conditioning a dog using the sound of a bell so it could salivate. From there, you pair the presentation of food repeatedly with the sound of the bell. And as soon as the dog begins to salivate in response to the bell tone, that is where you can conclude that the classical conditioning response has been acquired.

 What are the four elements or principles of classical conditioning? 

The principles or stages of classical conditioning are acquisition, spontaneous recovery, extinction, stimulus generalization, and discrimination. These are significantly important to produce a behavioral response known as a conditioned response, which applies to the neutral stimulus sufficient to produce a specific behavior.

 What are the three stages of classical conditioning? 

The three known stages of classical conditioning are before acquisition, acquisition, and after acquisition. At each of these stages, stimuli and responses are identified by diverse terminology, in which associations are made between situations and events that come about together. Two stimuli get linked together to produce a new learned response.

 What are the different types of classical conditioning? 

The different classical conditioning processes are Unconditioned stimulus, Unconditioned response, Conditioned stimulus, Conditioned response, Extinction, Generalization, and Discrimination.

 How does classical conditioning work? 

Classical conditioning is t happens unconsciously. It is an automatic conditioned response paired with a specific stimulus that creates a behavior. A good example of it is when someone else’s phone rings; we automatically check on ours even if we already knew there is nothing there. It usually happens when the conditioned stimulus is presented alone.

 What are the five elements of classical conditioning? 

The basic components of classical conditioning include Neutral Stimulus, such as sound. The unconditioned response or the unlearned naturally occurring responses, such as feeling hungry when smelling the food. Then there is the unconditioned stimulus or something that is presented and makes you react. An example of this is when you sneeze because a feather tickles your nose or flinch away because you heard a loud bang. Conditioned response reflects from the triggering stimuli, and conditioned stimulus is the response to the trigger.

 How does conditioning influence behavior? 

In physiology, conditioning is a behavioral process whereby it creates a result of reinforcement that is more frequent or unsurprising in a given environment. There is the understanding of a person’s behavior where he focuses on looking at the reason for his actions and the consequences that go along with it.

 What is classical conditioning in consumer behavior? 

Consumer behavior is the study of a consumer’s way of thinking. From how they use to choose, consume or use, and dispose of products and services. These can include consumers’ mental, behavioral, and emotional responses. Consumer behavior incorporates all aspects that affect their search, selection, and purchase. Consumer behavior ideas often come from several sciences, including chemistry, biology, psychology, and economics.

 What is classical conditioning theory? 

The Pavlovian or classical conditioning theory, also known as respondent conditioning, is based on the assumption that learning is developed through an individual’s environmental interactions. It is a convincing theory that the environment shapes a person’s behavior and internal mental state. However, feelings, thoughts, emotions are not included as it does not explain human behavior.

Source: pixabay.com

 What is another name for conditioning psychology? 

Another name for conditioning psychology is operant conditioning and instrumental conditioning.

 Does conditioning affect emotion? 

Yes. The conditioned emotional response usually comes from the association of a quite neutral stimulus with a few levels of painful or fear-inducing experience. Since emotions are innate, biologically, the conditioned emotional response includes the expression of learned emotions that usually depends on the social environment that drives reactions to certain challenges and opportunities. Typically the fear or anxiety, or any negative emotional response, becomes associated with a neutral stimulus resulting from classical conditioning.

 What are the two types of conditioning? 

The two types of processes that lead to learning conditioning are both classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning pairs two stimuli that often work with involuntary responses. Meanwhile, operant conditioning pairs behavior and response that works with voluntary behaviors.

 What is conditioning in animal behavior? 

Conditioning in animal behavior is a type of learning in which an animal gain knowledge, behaves, and operates in the environment. An animal can get conditioned to respond to the new response with a familiar stimulus, particularly the ones needed for survival. The types of learning in animal behavior include sensitization, habituation, and classical conditioning.

 How does classical conditioning affect learning? 

Both operant conditioning and classical conditioning are processes that lead to learning. Classical conditioning pairs a given stimulus (or signal) that becomes increasingly effective in evoking a response. There is a response that occurs with increasing regularity in a well-specified and stable environment.

 What is an example of a conditioned response?

The best example of a conditioned response is the smell of the food. It is an unconditioned stimulus that promotes a feeling of hunger, which responds to the smell of untested food. It becomes a conditioned response when hunger gets partnered with and the sound of a whistle. Thus, the conditioned response revolves around the sound of the while that allows you to become hungry even without the food’s presence.

Source: pixabay.com

Final Thoughts

After knowing a lot about classical conditioning, my take on psychology changed. I now love to learn more about how people’s personalities, thoughts, behavior, and feelings are affected by stimuli. With the understanding of the subject, perhaps I would enroll in a psychology class next semester.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Cognitive Processing Therapy

Traumatic life events cause symptoms and behaviors in people that negatively impact their lives. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be extremely draining for a person who has the condition. They may need to undergo specific treatments such as Cognitive Processing Therapy, which is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Source: pexels.com

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) involves techniques that reduce symptoms of PTSD. It has proven to be effective in lessening the harmful effects of trauma in a person’s life. Furthermore, it gives patients tools that they can use to overcome unhelpful beliefs caused by trauma.

The first thing that the therapist will tackle in CPT is understanding what PTSD is and how it affects the person. CPT aims to develop a better relationship between an individual and thoughts and emotions. The therapy will teach how to “label” feelings by identifying and understanding them better. 

Throughout the following Cognitive Processing Therapy sessions, the therapist will serve as a guide by confronting and dissecting the trauma.

Eventually, the therapist will help identify points wherein there are “distorted cognitions,” such as self-blame and other guilt cognitions. Upon identifying these distorted beliefs, the therapist will assist in how to challenge and change them.

The end goal of Cognitive Processing Therapy is to be able to apply the skills outside of treatment. It aims to improve the handling of difficult situations related to traumas that bring out distorted beliefs.

How does cognitive processing therapy work? 

Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is a specific type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It typically consists of 12 sessions of psychotherapy for trauma and PTSD. The process allows patients to conceptualize traumatic events in their life and develop ways to handle their adverse effects.

In doing so, patients can change how they think about their traumas and ultimately change how they feel about them.

How effective is cognitive processing therapy?       

Studies have shown that CPT is effective in reducing PTSD symptoms checklist scores. It also shows that CPT is highly effective in conditions reflective of clinical practice. It is especially beneficial for veterans, victims of abuse, and people who suffered from natural disasters.

What is cognitive processing?      

Cognitive processing is a term that refers to the series of cognitive operations that our brain does. It centers on all the information we take in and storing, altering, recovering, and applying it. Examples of cognitive processing include reading, calculating numbers, making decisions, and more.

Is cognitive processing therapy evidence-based?

CPT is under the category of evidence-based manualized treatment. Its focus is on addressing symptoms of trauma and PTSD and looking at how patients perceive traumatic events. It allows patients to develop ways for them to regain their sense of control in life.

What are the 8 cognitive skills?     

Cognitive skills refer to abilities developed by the brain to process information effectively. These skills are often categorized into eight.  Each category reflects a different method of how the brain interprets and uses information. The eight cognitive skills are:

  1. Sustained attention
  2. Response inhibition
  3. Processing speed
  4. Working memory
  5. Simultaneous attention
  6. Logic and reasoning
  7. Category formation
  8. Pattern recognition

Who needs cognitive behavioral therapy? 

CBT is a psychological treatment method that can address a wide range of psychological conditions. People suffering from anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance problems, and mental illnesses can benefit the most from CBT.

What therapy is best for trauma?

Numerous therapy approaches can address trauma and traumatic responses. Since each approach has a different focus and methods, many therapists would combine them in their practice.

However, the most commonly integrated therapies for trauma include psychotherapy, exposure therapy, CBT, EMDR, hypnotherapy, and psychodynamic therapy.

Source: pexels.com

What therapy is best for PTSD?     

Most therapies for PTSD fall under the umbrella category of CBT. The methods involved in CBT allow PTSD patients to change their thought patterns about their fears and trauma. One of the best therapies for PTSD under CBT is cognitive processing therapy (CPT).

How do I get certified in cognitive processing therapy? 

Getting certified in CPT would require professional licensure as a psychotherapist. You would also need to undergo the necessary training, group consultations, initiation of CPT cases, and knowledge of CPT standardized instruments. You will then be subject to evaluation based on your qualifications.

Is Prolonged exposure therapy evidence-based?

Prolonged exposure falls under the category of evidence-based treatment for PTSD. It involved in-vivo exposure, imaginal exposure, and processing of traumatic memory. Many studies support prolonged exposure as one of the best treatment methods for PTSD.

Who developed cognitive processing therapy?

The person responsible for developing CPT is Dr. Patricia Resick in 1988. Together with other psychologists, they focused on treating PTSD symptoms of victims of sexual assault. Later, Dr. Candice M. Monson conducted the initial randomized controlled trials of CPT for PTSD treatment with U.S. Veterans.

What are stuck points?

Stuck points in CPT refers to statements and thoughts that restrict trauma patients from moving forward from their traumas. These statements, which often revolve around safety, trust, control, esteem, and intimacy, keep trauma patients from recovering.

It skews their perception of reality in an unhealthy way, which leads to withdrawal from things that they associate as threats.

How can I improve my cognitive skills?

Improving your cognitive skills allows you to perform better in almost all aspects of life. It helps enhance your attention, thought process, and problem-solving skills.

Working on your cognitive skills involves taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional health. Therefore, being physically active, getting enough sleep, reducing stress, maintaining social connections, and brain exercises can improve cognitive skills.

What is the 30-question cognitive test?

We refer to the 30-question cognitive test as the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) or Folstein test. It is an extensive test commonly used in research and clinical settings to measure potential cognitive impairment or dysfunction. It is also a widely-used screening instrument for dementia in medicine and allied health.

What are three examples of cognitive skills?

Cognitive skills are the abilities related to thinking and reasoning that requires the brain to process information. Some common examples of cognitive skills are spatial awareness, logical reasoning, and visual and auditory processing.

Source: pexels.com

Suffering through trauma can negatively impact life because it considerably changes a person’s way of thinking. PTSD patients are more prone to believe that they are at fault for what has happened to them. They might also think that the world is a dangerous place. 

A traumatic event brings them to the point where they have varying emotions that are hard to untangle alone. There might be a feeling of fear or distrust towards the world.

However, perceiving oneself to be responsible for the situation is more likely. It is very common for PTSD patients to overthink what they could have done more to prevent the event from happening.

The duration of Cognitive Processing Therapy is shorter compared to other forms of therapy. It normally takes about 12 sessions, which are around 60 to 90 minutes each. The effect may begin to take place after the first few sessions.

Cognitive Processing Therapy will teach how to separate and categorize emotions to understand better how it affects reactions to situations.

If you decide to undergo CPT, you will write an Impact Statement during the first session. It will contain how impactful your experiences are towards yourself, your family, and the rest of your loved ones. 

From there, your therapist will work with you for 12 sessions. By the end of it, you will learn how to become more self-aware. Self-awareness makes catching false beliefs about yourself a lot easier. Managing situations and switching up your way of thinking becomes a lot faster and better. 

You may feel broken and distrustful of the world, but that doesn’t mean you can’t heal. Through CPT, you can mend your ways of thinking for a better, healthier life.

Understanding The Effectiveness Of Talk Therapy For Overall Wellness

Understandably, most people do not want to sit in front of a stranger only to talk about fear, stress, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, and other psychological and mental health disorders. The fact that the treatment and psychotherapy sessions can last up to a couple of weeks, you might find that the whole idea is pretty much a waste of time. On top of that, it requires a large sum of money despite just sitting in front of an expert and talking for a couple of hours. Does it work? As much as you thought that talking to someone who knows how to handle your psychological issues is nonsense, it actually works. However, it is essential to note that not all types of talk therapy and mental health sessions are created equally. Thus, there are different methods of psychodynamic therapy, behavior therapy, or exposure therapy that suit individual psychological conditions. Continue reading to learn more.

Source: pixabay.com

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavior Therapy is the most known talk therapy that is scientifically studied. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps address specific mental illnesses or mental health conditions such as mood disorders, depression, and even schizophrenia. This talk therapy runs through a process by assisting individuals in identifying their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, intending to alter the negative stuff with healthier ones. The therapy involves cognitive learning to help individuals look at things differently. CBT assists individuals in understanding unusual life events and experiences. These include other people’s judgments, trauma from abuse, and distressing beliefs about one’s self. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT also caters to different developing strategies that are often people’s main issues. This type of therapy helps reduce stress, maintain an excellent mental and emotional balance, and improve overall well-being.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy is a promising technique, especially in the long term. The treatment plan is more than just an advice-giving process. That is because of its ability to alter the structure and function of people’s brain’s circuitry. It promotes awareness of individuals’ reasons for happiness, anger, fear, and other emotions. CBT assists in the proper regulation of thoughts and feelings to help people decide how to act, respond, and behave accordingly. Remarkably, a week of Cognitive Behavior Therapy allows people to discriminate specific emotional distress better.

talk therapy helps deal with cognitive and emotional problems.
Source: pixabay.com

Typical Access To Cognitive Behavior Therapy

In relation to mental health and talk therapy treatment, Cognitive Behavior Therapy can assist individuals with face-to-face interaction. Individuals can find a therapist, set up an appointment with other mental health professionals, and sit and talk with the mental health expert for a couple of hours. However, it can also be useful even if delivered via the Internet. This type of CBT arrangement helps a lot, especially for those people experiencing severe social anxiety. Since they are afraid of personal interaction, it becomes impossible for them to discuss mental health problems personally. But with internet-delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy, individuals are promised to improve their health over time without the pressure of somebody else’s presence. Thus, it is understandable that CBT assists in brain alteration even if it gets delivered in a manner of online treatment.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy administered by mental health care professionals is significant because of the change it can provide in people’s behaviors. Those changes often help a lot and are necessary for clinical improvement, provided with followed guidelines and essential treatment. However, it is vital to understand that what works for some does not guarantee to work for others. So, it would be best for people to know their preference when it comes to treatment and therapy options that are available.

Source: pixabay.com

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Benefits

Support System – For most people experiencing different emotions, the one thing they crave more is attention. Along with a professional mental health expert and family therapist, CBT promises to provide that needed comfortability, guidance, and support.

Improved Self-Esteem – CBT increases people’s self-esteem. That is because of its talk therapy procedure that allows individuals to express themselves in someone’s presence without criticism and judgment. There is the assurance of given confidence and self-worthiness.

Creations Of Positive Thoughts – Cognitive Behavior Therapy is clinically proven and recommended because of its primary function. That is to create a positive thought that would eventually remove the negative ones. Though the fulfillment of the procedure may take a while, the treatment still ensures a bit-by-bit change that is also beneficial in long-term impact.

Relapse Prevention – Talk therapy, particularly CBT, can prevent people from degeneration. It aids in decreasing symptoms that may result from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, abuse-related fears, shame, some sexualized behaviors, etc. With CBT, it becomes easy for people to control the negative impact on particular aspects of their lives.

Better Communication Skills – For individuals experiencing a mental health issue, it is hard for them to maintain communication. But with CBT, the patients learn to communicate effectively without the risk of getting a bad feeling associated with their life problems.

Improves Coping Skills – Cognitive Behavior Therapy allows individuals to learn and practice their emotional and mental ability to control thinking and beliefs. It helps them sort out their issues and never to ignore them. The ongoing process of CBT improves people’s better logic and reasoning, as well.

Source: pixabay.com

People should recognize the importance and benefits of talk therapy. They must understand that dealing with mental health issues is not always through medication and surgeries. If you have questions, always seek a licensed mental health professional or take advantage of the Mental Health Services administration.

FAQs

What Is Talking Therapy In Mental Health?

How Does Discussing Problems Improve Cognitive Health?

Why Is Therapy Treatment So Important?

Can Mental Disorders Be Healed Through Counseling Treatment?

What does therapy or counseling do to the brain?

How does talk counseling change the brain?

Why is talk therapy good for anxiety?

Is talk therapy effective for trauma?

How does talk therapy reduce stress?

Is there value in talk treatment?

What are the benefits of therapy?

How does therapy improve your life?

How does therapy make your life better?

What is the most important thing in therapy?

What do people learn from therapy?

Dealing With Family Members’ Mental Health Issues

We agree that we have the responsibility to care and support our loved ones as a family member, especially when these individuals are dealing with a mental illness. But have you ever thought how much you should excuse family members for their unacceptable behaviors? When members of your family have been diagnosed with severe cases of panic disorder, anxiety, and depression, would you allow them to treat you and the rest of the family negatively? Understandably, your loved ones with mental health issues are not their normal selves. At times, they are short-tempered and irritable. They can also become quite vindictive and mean. Unfortunately, those negative behaviors are just part of their mental illness. As a concerned family member, would you confront and stop your loved ones from practicing negative behaviors? Or would you rather let them slip?

Source: pexels.com

What Can You Do?

First of all, you need to realize that it is not your loved ones’ fault that they behave differently. There is something wrong with their emotional and psychological function, which makes them respond to things unfavorably. Thus, it is reasonable to allow family members to feel that way. It is the only way your loved ones can validate their strengths and weaknesses. It becomes their outlet in dealing with so many overwhelming things. However, there is a catch. When you let your loved ones take their frustrations out on everybody, you are not helping them. If you think that often ignoring their mean behavior towards the rest of the family will help, it will not.

As a family member, you have to allow your loved ones to experience the different levels of their emotional and mental state. It would be best if you never let them use that as an opportunity to feel entitled to everything they do. It would be best if you let them know when they are hurtful sometimes. It is okay to give your family members a break from criticisms. But if that process does not help them build up themselves and contribute to their fight against their negative voices, you need to undergo treatment, such as family therapy.

Source: pexels.com

What Can Family Therapy Do?

Experts recommend family therapy because it promises to provide everyone a safe place to talk about things that family members struggle to talk about every day. Of course, you don’t have all the time to sit around with members of the family to discuss specific issues. That is especially if you feel scared to let your opinions out. You don’t want to hurt others with your words, do you? Honestly, you do not have that setup in your regular lives where people in the house allow someone to talk without receiving any backlash. Thus, it is essential that when discussing behavioral issues among family members, you need to have a mediator to control the situation.

Source: pexels.com

It will be an excellent experience for everyone to attend a family therapy session that caters to mental health issues as well. That is because everyone will have a safe place to vent their frustrations as to what is going on with their relationship within the family. Family therapy can help in externalizing the issue. It is where instead of pointing out that it is your loved ones’ behavior that some members feel bad, you try to explain to them that their mental illness is the one causing the damage. It is like trying to put the blame onto something that shouldn’t have to be there in the first place. It is more about targeting what is causing the whole misunderstanding instead of focusing on the resulting behavior. This way, it makes your loved ones seek relief for the problem because they will start to see that it is not them that is causing others to feel bad. Instead, it is their mental illness.

Source: pexels.com

Things To Remember

Usually, when you talk to your loved ones about the changes in their behavior, it upsets them. It makes them feel that you don’t understand their situation, and things can pretty much escalate into a huge argument. It can affect your emotional and mental state at some level. When you think too much about the impact of your actions and words toward your family member, there is a tendency that you will feel guilty of either saying or not saying anything. With this, you need to consider seeking your personal therapy.

It is entirely reasonable to feel exhausted and frustrated to almost feel trapped in an unfortunate family situation. That is because of the fact that you don’t want to hurt the people you love, who are already hurting due to their mental condition. So before you make any move in either trying to confront members of the family with mental health, seek personal or family therapists’ advice.