A healthy mindset plays a vital role in everyday life. It can be stressful balancing work, family, and a fulfilling social life — feeling overwhelmed at times is normal, but when it begins to interfere with everyday activities, it may be time to seek the help of a good therapist.
Also known as talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can allow you to discuss your anxieties and let you open up in a positive environment. Mental health issues can be debilitating, especially if you don’t have the tools you need. Working with your therapist, you can create a personalized program that suits your needs. Here are some reasons why cognitive therapy might be the right treatment for you.
How does it work?
Millions of people suffer from mental health issues such as depression. It can affect anyone, although numbers are higher among younger generations and women. CBT is one type of therapy that treats individuals with depression, OCD, insomnia, relationship problems, social phobias, and much more.
CBT is designed to take negative thoughts and images and help you change these thought processes into positive ones. This method helps retrain you to face hard situations and channel them in favorable ways. NYC cognitive therapy benefits include learning better ways to cope and prevail during difficult episodes.
Aaron Beck, the founder of CBT, saw the strong connection between feeling and thoughts in many of his patients. Beck designed this short term program consisting of willing participation in “homework” like journaling and worksheets. If your therapist recommends this type of therapy, it’s crucial that all parties are interested in doing it.
Besides therapy, you may need medication as part of your treatment. If you’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, for example, you may need to go through a physical and mental exam, and then your doctor creates a treatment plan that works for you. This may include CBT, charting and tracking your state of mind every day, or a regiment of mood stabilizing medications.
Who can benefit from cognitive therapy?
CBT isn’t just for adults. Around 6 million people under the age of 18 have mental health issues that interfere with their daily lives. Cognitive therapy can be used successfully for helping kids deal with responding to triggers they are subjected to. One way is called “exposure and response prevention.”
Unlike talk therapy for adults, children alter and change their behavior to get rid of the fear that is a trigger for them. Getting to the root of the issues can help a child understand these fears. Trust is a very important aspect for both adults and children. It encourages the patient to open up enough to dig deeper. The benefit of understanding how and why triggers happen is so the patient can control themselves and not let the fear take hold instead.
The earlier someone gets help can affect how positively it impacts them in the long run. Studies have shown people suffering from mental illness have problems continuing their education and their careers later in life. Healthy minds and lifestyles can contribute to better financial situations.
Programs such as England’s IAPT started in 2008 to help conquer mental health problems such as depression in adults and children. Learning to recognize early signs of mental illness in children encourages earlier treatment, which leads to a healthier life sooner. These kids are more likely to stay in school, start more stable careers, and become successful members of society.
