Cognitive Theory And Social Work

Cognitive therapy is one of the few theories that have been extensively scientifically tested and found to be highly effective in over 300 clinical trials. It focuses on the immediate or automatic thoughts the client has and how these thoughts affect their feelings and behaviors. The goal of cognitive therapy is to identify these thoughts that are poorly affecting the client. Then teach the client how to identify these automatic thoughts and how they can effectively change them. Through the very structured sessions of cognitive therapy, a client should essentially learn the tools to be their own cognitive therapist for future problems they may encounter. The therapy session will not make them an expert but they will be better prepared to

Cognitive-behavioural theory can be used on a one to one basis or in a group setting. It is said that in order for cognitive-behavioural therapy to be effective, the client

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the inspired work of Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck which emphasizes the need for attitudinal change to promote and maintain a behavior modification (Nichols, 2010 p. 167). Ellis believed, people contribute to their own psychological problems, as well as specific symptoms, by the rigid and extreme beliefs they hold about events and situations (Cory 2012, p. 291). CBT is based on an educational model with a scientifically supported assumption that most emotional and behavioral responses are learned. Therefore, the goal of therapy is to assist clients unlearn their unwanted behaviors and to learn new ways of behaving and thinking when he/she is faced with an

The roots of the Cognitive-Behavioral Theory lie in the broadening of behavior therapy and has undoubtedly produced more empirical research than any other model of psychotherapy (Datillio, 2000a). Cognitive-Behavior theory is a theory based on the idea that a person’s perspective is what guides the development and the preservation of their emotional and behavioral responses to situations within their lives as well as a plethora of studies that tested learning theories. The Cognitive-Behavior therapy also called CBT, relies on the belief that the person’s perspective also stunts or expedites the emotional and behavioral adaptation to situations as well. This “belief” means that what you or I think governs how we respond to what goes

From the time of the advent of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and therapy until now, psychologists have searched for new and better ways to both understand and treat the human psyche. Many psychologists have spent their lives analyzing the complexities of human thought, behavior, and interactions with societal influences in order to find new ways to guide humans towards a more fulfilling human experience. Throughout time, various theories and models of therapy have emerged, each with their strengths and weaknesses in their efforts to help humanity live more fulfilling lives. Psychoanalytic, Adlerian, existential, person-centered, gestalt, behavior, cognitive, cognitive behavior (CBT), reality, feminist, postmodern, and family systems approaches have all made important contributions towards the evolution of psychological theory and therapy. One of the most widely accepted and practiced forms of theory and therapy in today’s world of psychology is CBT. Cognitive-Behavior Therapy has a rich and storied history, contains more inherent strengths than weaknesses, and provides effective treatment for a variety of psychological conditions.

The next theory is Cognitive Behavioral approach. Cognitive Therapy has grown to become one of the most empirically validated approaches to counseling and psychotherapy. Albert Ellis established the foundations of cognitive therapy, using logic to dispute irrational beliefs. According to Seligman and Reichenberg, cognitive therapy focuses on the meaning that people give

The foundation of cognitive therapy is that thoughts have the ability to influence individual's feelings. One's emotional

In psychoanalytic thought, conscious thinking is a product of the drives from which our emotions also spring. By nature, we are pleasure seekers and feelers, not thinkers. Thoughts are our personal means of deciding how to gratify our own drives. Defense mechanisms are a result from our need to indirectly manage drives when we become frustrated and negotiate acceptable behaviours with others. The need to manage our drives allows our unconscious mental process to develop. We need to explore all our thoughts and feelings to understand our essential drives.

On the other hand, the cognitive behavioral theory uses the principles of schemas, cognitive triad, and cognitive distortions. The CBT is based on: “the observation of the Automatic Thoughts and beliefs that are exaggerated, distorted, mistaken, or unrealistic” (Dr. Lennon, 2016). CBT attempts to reduce by training the patient’s mind to replace dysfunctional thought patterns, perceptions, and behavior with more realistic and helpful ones.

The philosophy of cognitive behavioral therapy is that “think and feeling are connected people are creative (Halbur & Halbur, 2015, p.47)”. The key aspects of theory are to challenge the irrational beliefs that we hold about ourselves. Aaron Beck the primary founder of cognitive behavior theory assumed that people can control how they feel and what they think. He believed that our inner thoughts and beliefs affected how we are affected on the outside. One of the key concepts is that the client’s dysfunctional thinking can be derived from an erroneous internal process or bias.

Barris, R., Kielhofner, G., & Watts, J. H. (1988). Cognitive approaches to therapy. In G. Kielhofner (Ed.), Bodies of knowledge in psychosocial practice (pp. 89-100). Thorofare, NJ: Slack.

Today Cognitive behavioral Therapy has been influenced by two major therapeutic approaches: firstly, Behaviorism as developed by Skinner, Pavlov and others in the 1950s and 1960s, where the main research was related to rewards and punishments, or stimuli’ and their response. Second is Cognitive therapy which was introduced or made popular by Beck and Ellis in the 1960s. CBT by definition is a form of treatment that focuses on examining the relationships between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. By exploring the patterns of thinking that lead to negative actions and the beliefs that dictate these thoughts, families can identify and change the patterns in order to

Let us begin with the history of cognitive behavior therapy, it was initiated in the late 1950s and early 1960s by Aaron T. Beck,

From this realization, he created an intervention geared towards altering individuals’ negative self-concepts and challenging their way of thinking. Beck’s cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the cognitive model theory (Heffner, n.d.). The cognitive model holds the premise that our thoughts are responsible for how we behave. So, flawed thinking is at the root of all mental disorders. Beck used cognitive model to understand that a change in the mental process can treat depression (Beck, 2005). Although Beck’s cognitive therapy intervention started off as a treatment for depression; it has been modified and adapted to fit the needs of many different mental and psychical illnesses.

Cognitive psychology began emerging in the 1950’s. As highlighted by Kraiger and Salas (1993), this was partially as a response to behaviorism. Critics noted that behaviorism failed to explain how some internal development processes impacted behavior. Cognitive psychology focuses on how individuals acquire process and in the long run store information. Currently, cognitive psychology concentrates on few key human characteristics which include: