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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy is a powerful form of psychotherapy based on the belief that psychological problems are the products of faulty ways of thinking; it is a self-help technique that combats depression and other negative emotions by consciously changing the way we think. The Therapy was developed by psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s.

Cognitive therapy explained

(CT) is a type of psychotherapy developed by psychiatrist Aaron T Beck in the 1960s. Becoming disillusioned with long-term psychodynamic approaches based on gaining insight into unconscious emotions and drives, Beck came to the conclusion that the way in which his clients perceived and interpreted and attributed meaning—a process known scientifically as cognition—in their daily lives was a key to therapy.

Albert Ellis was working on similar ideas from a different perspective, in developing his Rational Emotive Behavioural therapy (REBT). Cognitive therapy seeks to identify and change "distorted" or "unrealistic" ways of thinking, and therefore to influence emotion and behaviour.

Cognitive therapy availability

At the end of 2004, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a report saying that CBT should be one of the preferred routes of treatment for mild to moderate depression. As a consequence, an initiative was launched to train a further 10,000 CBT therapists to meet the resource implications of their recommendations.

This does mean there should be more therapy available on the NHS for anyone now considering CBT. There are also a growing number of therapists who additionally work in the private sector. CBT is becoming the treatment of choice for a growing range of mental disorders.

CONCLUSION

What if negative thinking does creep in and you find yourself mired in unpleasant emotions. Then what? Cognitive therapy calls for tackling the problem using the seven easy tips. Seven tips may not sound like many, but simplicity is one of cognitive therapy's major strengths. It is quick and easy, and once people understand the basic concepts, almost anyone can practice it. Sometimes, though, cognitive therapy's very simplicity puts people off.