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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Case Study

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Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, has been slowly rising as the empirically based choice for community mental health centers and insurance companies. The idea behind cognitive behavioral therapy lies within thoughts, behaviors, and emotions or feelings and how they interact with one another and the individual in their life (Beck, 2011 & Beck Institute, 2015). Practicing clinicians draw attention to the client’s dysfunctional thinking patterns and are focused on the present instead of the past or future. Cognitive behavioral therapy tends to be problem or solution focused and structured to where the client can be helped within a short time frame. Clients learn skills and techniques to help them in their everyday lives during counseling. Clinicians help the clients learn these skills by providing psychoeducation and tools discussing distorted thinking, behavior modification, modifying beliefs, and being aware of others in different ways (Beck, 2011 & Beck Institute, 2015).
Cognitive behavioral therapy consists of multiple models that follow a common theoretical basis. Multiple treatment manuals and models exist to treat a variety of disorders and diagnoses (Beck, 2005). Techniques are drawn from both …show more content…

Wilhelm Wundt, the father of experimental psychology, and Sigmund Freud, creator of psychoanalysis, established themselves as the premiere options until the 1950’s. As World War II ended, questions about their effectiveness to “cure” individuals began and behavioral therapy emerged, led by the likes of John Watson (Dienes et al., 2011). Many psychoanalysts transitioned into behaviorists, understanding that the new model could produce results. This era too enjoyed a birth of innovation that accounted for cognitive aspects, once missed and the CBT theory was created soon

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