Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological therapy pioneered at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1960s by Dr. Aaron T. Beck. Over the last few decades, this therapy has been understood to be effective for a range of issues. If you or a family member is struggling with addiction, anxiety, or another mental health issue, an outpatient rehab center that utilizes CBT could be one important piece of the puzzle leading toward the road to recovery. Contact the medical professionals at Avedis Recovery today. Reach us online or call 833.514.0579 to discuss the role cognitive-behavioral therapy in Los Angeles could play in rebuilding your life.
What Is Different About Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?
With Dr. Beck’s help nearly 50 years ago, patients were encouraged to identify and evaluate their negative thoughts about themselves, the world, and their future. By leading people down this path, patients started to feel better emotionally and were able to behave more functionally, as they developed the ability to think more realistically about their current situation and the potential for a brighter future.
Cognitive-Behavioral therapy showed promise in bringing about long-lasting change in patients and is not demonstrating success in helping people overcome addiction and any number of other disorders such as:
- Alcohol use disorder
- Drug addiction
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Severe mental illness
What Is Involved In CBT?
Often taking place during an intensive outpatient therapy program, cognitive-behavioral therapy can lead to an increased quality of life and play a pivotal role in recovering from addiction. Studies have shown professional CBT can be as effective, if not more so, than other forms of therapy and psychiatric medications.
Cognitive-Behavioral therapy is based on several core principles, including that psychological problems are based, in part, on:
- Unhelpful ways of thinking
- Learned patterns of unhelpful behavior
- The belief that people can learn better ways of coping with these thoughts and patterns
- Relieving a person’s symptoms
Because the first key tenant of CBT is to address and change faulty and potentially patterns of thought, the strategies discussed during your Cognitive-Behavioral therapy may include:
- Learning to recognize that your own distortions in your thinking are what is creating problems
- Reevaluating your ways of thinking in light of this learned reality
- Giving you an understanding of the behavior and motivation of others
- Teaching you critical problem-solving skills to cope with challenging situations
- Developing a greater sense of self-confidence in your many abilities
Altering behavioral patterns is the next step in progressing through a successful intensive outpatient therapy program at Avedis Recovery. During your CBT, you will learn to:
- Face the fear(s) holding you back instead of depending on the crutch of avoidance
- Use role-playing as a way to built confidence as you prep for difficult interactions and scenarios in the future
- Learn ways in which you can calm your mind
- Practice methods of relaxing your body
While each cognitive-behavioral therapy program will differ, the cognitive-behavioral therapy offered by Avedis Recovery will place a priority on helping you learn to be your own therapist by having you do important exercises inside and outside of the sessions. You will come away with important coping skills, helpful new ideas for approaching once-challenging situations, and be able to use those old fears you harbored as a way to get through emotional strife thanks to new behaviors learned.
Focusing On The Here And Now
Cognitive-behavioral therapy emphasizes the here and now by addressing what is going on in your life currently, meaning that if you have struggled historically with addiction or other disorders, CBT may work in conjunction with or after appropriate rehab for co-occurring issues. This will help you recover fully and lead a healthier and happier life where you are able to think realistically and behave accordingly.
In addition to CBT, we also offer the following programs at Avedis Recovery:
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Process group therapy
- 12-step meetings
Learn More at Avedis Detox
No matter what is ailing you right now-drugs or depression or something in between-a CBT program at Avedis Recovery may help to start reframing your outlook on life. Contact us using our secure online form or call us confidentially at 833.514.0579 today to learn more about our intensive outpatient therapy program.
