Cognitive therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

           Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps individuals to identify and change the negative thoughts that can influence their emotions and behavior CBT promotes more balanced thinking and also helps to improve the ability to cope with stressful situations (Nakao, Shirotsuki, & Sugaya, 2021. CBT has been shown to be effective in the treatment of many emotional and behavioral issues. CBT can be applied in a variety of settings, including individual, group, and family therapy (Wheeler, 2020). 

CBT in Group Versus Family Settings

The goal of Cognitive Behavior Therapy in groups is to help the individuals to think positively, be more active socially, and have more positive views when managing life’s challenges and responsibilities. In group settings, the role of the therapist is to help the individuals to identify a specific problem and develop a structured plan that includes specific goals to overcome the problem (Wheeler, 2020). In a family therapy setting, the participation of all family members is essential since it influences the entire family. The main goal of family therapy is to bring the family members together to transform their interactions (Nichols & Davis, 2020). From a technical viewpoint, group and family therapy seems to be similar since both are complex and dynamic. In both settings, individuals must react to a number of people, and this therapeutic interaction can be a mechanism of change. However, there are significant differences in both therapies, and group therapies have limited applicability to family treatment. For example, it may be safer for family members to reveal themselves to strangers as compared to exposing themselves to their own family (Nichols & Davis, 2020). It is very important for PMHNPs in family therapy to remain non-judgmental and try to understand each family member’s perspective. There is a very excellent example in this week’s media resource video, “The CBT for Couples.” In this video, it is explained that CBT helps to teach clients to understand what they can control in their relationship, and it also helps them to evaluate their own cognition while considering their partner’s cognition at the same time (Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy, 2018).

CBT in Group versus Individual Settings

           Individual CBT and group CBT are the two common types of treatments mostly given to patients with mental health disorders. Studies have shown that CBT in groups helps to offer more opportunities for social support, positive peer modeling, reinforcement, and normalization. Additionally, CBT in group settings is more cost-effective, and it can help to save medical resources. However, individual cognitive therapy can be more specific for each client and offers more opportunities for individualization of treatment. Individual CBT can also help to address the avoidant behavior s effectively (Guo et al., 2021). Studies have shown that there are some differences in the outcomes of individual CBT and group CBT. For example, CBT is considered to be one of the effective treatments for anxiety symptoms. However, individual CBT is found to be more effective than group CBT when treating patients with anxiety disorder. In group CBT, the individuals may have to wait a more extended period to get the treatment because it takes a longer time to assemble a group with similar issues, and there is less flexibility about when the group session can be scheduled. On the other hand, individual CBT offers an individualized treatment plan and is more flexible based on a person’s therapeutic needs (Guo et al., 2021). Although CBT in a group setting lacks an individualized treatment plan, participants can have a better sense of belonging and may find better support and connection with each other (Hauksson et al., 2017). 

Challenges Faced by PMHNPs

           The PMHNPs can face many challenges while using CBT in group or family settings. The first challenge is to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of all group members. Although confidentiality is a crucial part of group therapy, however, there is no guarantee that information revealed in a group setting may remain private. Therefore, it is very important for PMHNPs to obtain informed consent before providing psychotherapy in any setting (Trachsel & Grosse Holtforth, 2019). Another challenge that PMHNPs can face while facilitating group therapy is the language and cultural barrier. In any group setting, some individuals may not speak the English language. Without a shared language, it may be challenging for individuals to communicate effectively about their physical, social, and psychological needs (Chen & Chen, 2020). 

Why supporting sources are Scholarly

           Each of these supporting resources used in the above post is scholarly. These resources were selected from the Walden library and Google scholar. The articles were reviewed to make sure that the research work is evidence-based, well-structured, and published in high-impact journals. The search was carefully modified to peer-reviewed only, and the publication date was set not older than five years. Each article's abstract was reviewed to ensure that the article has value and the relevant information about the discussion post. 

 

 

References

Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy. (2018, July 7). CBT for Couples [Video]. You Tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZH196rOGsc

Chen, H., & Chen, E. C. (2020). Working with interpreters in therapy groups for forced

migrants: Challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Group

Psychotherapy, 70(2), 244–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.2019.1685885

Guo, T., Su, J., Hu, J., Aalberg, M., Zhu, Y., Teng, T., & Zhou, X. (2021). Individual vs. Group

Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Anxiety Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-

Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Frontiers in psychiatry, 12, 674267.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.674267

Hauksson, P., Ingibergsdóttir, S., Gunnarsdóttir, T., & Jónsdóttir, I. H. (2017). Effectiveness of

cognitive behavior therapy for treatment-resistant depression with psychiatric

comorbidity: comparison of individual versus group CBT in an interdisciplinary

rehabilitation setting. Nordic journal of psychiatry, 71(6), 465-472.

Nakao, M., Shirotsuki, K., & Sugaya, N. (2021). Cognitive–behavioral therapy for management

of mental health and stress-related disorders: Recent advances in techniques and

technologies. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 15(1), 1–4.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13030-021-00219-w

Nichols, M., & Davis, S. D. (2020). The essentials of family therapy (7th ed.). Pearson.

Trachsel, M., & Grosse Holtforth, M. (2019). How to Strengthen Patients’ Meaning Response by

an Ethical Informed Consent in Psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 10.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01747

Wheeler, K. (Ed.). (2020). Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse: A how-to

guide for evidence-based practice (3rd ed.). PDF 2 INDIVIDUAL VS GP THERAPY.pdf PDF 4 CBT IND VS GP.pdf PDF 6 CHALLENGES.pdf PDF 7 WEEK INFORMED COSENT.pdf  

REPLY   QUOTE   EMAIL AUTHOR