Three Types of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety

Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety is widely considered by psychiatrists and psychologists in Farmingdale and elsewhere to be one of the most effective and best supported treatments for anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other related psychological conditions. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which the therapist helps the patient identify irrational ways of thinking and feeling that lead to maladaptive behaviors, in order to change the client’s response to anxiety-triggering situations and events.

There are six key phases involved in cognitive behavioral therapy:

1.       Psychological assessment of the client by the therapist

2.       Reconceptualization, in which the client learns to reexamine their ways of thinking about anxiety-triggering situations or events

3.       Skills acquisition, in which the client learns new skills for coping

4.       Skills consolidation and application, in which the client applies their newly learned skills

5.       Generalization and maintenance

6.       Post-treatment assessment and follow-up

There are several different approaches to cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety available in Farmingdale. Some of these include rational emotive behavior therapy, cognitive emotional behavior therapy, and structured cognitive behavioral therapy.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety that emphasizes the resolution of emotional disturbances and related behavioral problems. REBT was originally developed in the 1950s by American psychiatrist Albert Ellis, who continued to develop this approach until his death in 2007. The central premise of REBT as cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety, is that people tend to become upset not so much by unfortunate circumstances or adversities in and of themselves, but by their own ways of thinking about these adversities.

This is shaped by the person’s overall philosophical outlook and how they construct their view of reality. Albert Ellis described the relationship between events and the person’s reaction to them in terms of the A-B-C Model:

·         A for adversity or activating events

·         B for the person’s beliefs regarding the events

·         C for the emotional and behavioral consequences of the person’s beliefs toward the activating events

Ellis’s REBT aims to help patients realize that, although they cannot control certain events and circumstances in their lives, they can control how they think about, feel about, and respond to those events or circumstances. Many people have cognitive and behavioral tendencies, often developed early in life, that become self-defeating; REBT aims to help people reexamine their feelings, behaviors, and ways of thinking to respond in a more healthy manner to adversities.

Cognitive Emotional Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive emotional behavioral therapy (CEBT) is another form of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety. CEBT aims to help clients self-evaluate the basis of emotional distress, and to better understand what causes and contributes to their emotional states. Achieving a better self-understanding reduces the need for dysfunctional coping behaviors. CEBT is distinct from CBT, per se, in that it places more emphasis on the emotional component of anxiety and other disorders. Although CEBT was originally developed for treating eating disorders, it has also proven to be effective for many individuals as a form of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety.

Structured Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

A third approach to cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety in Farmingdale and elsewhere is structured cognitive behavioral therapy (SCBT). SCBT is distinct from CBT in that it is considered less of an indefinite therapy and more as a finite form of training. In SCBT, clients undergo a program divided into progressive sessions arranged into a particular order. The design of SCBT is tailored more to the disorder than to the individual. SCBT stresses willpower, in the form of urge conditioning and desensitization. Although SCBT is most commonly used for addictive behaviors, it can also be effective for some individuals as cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety.

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