With cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) the therapist applies his skills of negotiation and judgment and passes this on to his patient to help him understand his thoughts, actions and behavior, and helps him overcome his problems. This therapy provides a platform to the affected people to use to understand how their feelings, emotions and thoughts affect and influence their behavior. Thus it offers several advantages, both as a form of therapy as well as a behavior analysis method to the affected people. The advantages are listed below.
Advantages of cognitive behavioral therapy
* It can be used in the treatment of several mental disorders which exhibit varying degrees of behavioral and physical symptoms.
* It is very useful in the treatment of people suffering from phobias, aversions and social interaction problems.
It can also be used in the treatment and alleviation of addictions the persons are suffering with. This is especially useful when applied on smokers and substances abusers like drug addicts and alcohol users.
* It can be used in the treatment of depression, anxiety and panic attacks.
* It can be used in patients who do not like taking medicines or have a fear of becoming addicted to medicines.
* It can be used successfully in treating post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain system and chronic fatigue symptom also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis.
* It can be used successfully in the treatment of sexual dysfunctional problems or relationship problems caused by such.
* It can be used in the treatment of problem behavior or rash behavior common in children and teenagers. This therapy can also be used in enhancing the self esteem of weak teenagers and help them develop confidence.
* It has been used to treat problems of loss of sleep or intermittent sleep which are common in many people.
* It can also be used in the treatment of psychiatric problems like obsessive compulsive disorder and Tourette Syndrome.
* It can be used to reduce the frequency of mood swings that affects a lot of people especially the elderly. CBT can be used to treat psychological problems across the age group. Reducing mood swings can help in the reduction of conflicts within the family and bring stability in relationships.
* It provides emotional support to those who need it the most, i.e. those who suffer from a lack of emotional support. This category can include the meek, the elderly and the troubled.
* It can also help students improve their behavior at school and improve their performance in studies.
* It can be used as a new method of learning and training. When used as such, it can be a successful model that can be implemented in schools and be made part of the school’s curriculum. When used as a group therapy, it can fill in the gap created by lack of individual focus and attention, which can be a problem at schools.
* People who do not have a clear focus or aim in their lives will benefit immensely as CBT will help them set their goals and focus on achieving those goals.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can be a useful tool to overcome several problems that affect a large number of people today. The points mentioned here are an indication of the advantages CBT offers.