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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Psychotherapy is a critical aspect of treating mental health and dual-diagnosis disorders. However, different types of therapeutic modalities are available depending on your symptoms. At Gulf Coast Recovery Center, we offer cognitive-behavioral therapy in Tampa, Florida, as an option to treat several types of mental health conditions.
Visit our admissions page to begin cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) today.
What Is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that treats several mental health conditions and substance abuse.
CBT is based on the idea that our beliefs and thought patterns influence our behavioral responses. If you have unhealthy thoughts patterns and beliefs, you engage in unhealthy behaviors. Therefore, if you change these thoughts, you can change your behavior.
Our therapists will help you identify unhealthy thoughts and beliefs during our cognitive-behavioral therapy in Tampa. Once you are aware of these thoughts and beliefs, you can change them with professional guidance. Then, you create healthy thoughts and beliefs—and develop healthy behavioral responses as a result.
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Why Is CBT the Gold Standard in Psychotherapy?
According to Frontiers in Psychiatry, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the gold standard in psychotherapy for the following reasons:
- “CBT is the most researched form of psychotherapy.”
- “No other form of psychotherapy has been shown to be systematically superior to CBT […].”
- “[T]he CBT theoretical models/mechanisms of change have been the most researched and are in line with the current mainstream paradigms of human mind and behavior (e.g., information processing).”
One of the most important theories driving CBT is the “ABC model” which explains behavioral patterns.
What Are the ABCs of CBT?
The ABC model is a tool used during cognitive-behavioral therapy to understand how maladaptive (unhealthy or problematic) behaviors develop.
Albert Ellis developed the ABC model to explain how your thoughts and beliefs influence your behaviors. Usually, most people think there is a direct link between a trigger and a behavior. However, the ABC model shows that your behaviors are more closely linked to how you think about the trigger.
The ABCs of CBT are as follows:
- Antecedent (activating event): What happens to trigger a specific behavior? This could be something like getting into an argument with a partner, problems at work, or the loss of a loved one. Essentially an antecedent is what happens before you respond.
- Belief: What thoughts do you have at the time of the activating event? Sometimes, the activating event triggers long-standing beliefs and thought patterns. For example, if your friend doesn’t respond to a text message, this could reinforce pre-existing feelings of abandonment.
- Consequences: How do you respond? In the ABC model, consequences refer to how you respond (behaviorally or emotionally) to an activating event based on the thoughts you have as a result. So, in the above-mentioned example, if a missed text message feeds into unhealthy abandonment beliefs, you might respond by lashing out at your friend.
Therefore, if you can change the way you think about (the belief of the ABC model), you can find new and healthier ways to respond to activating events. The process of changing unhealthy thought patterns and beliefs is called “cognitive restructuring.”
What Does Cognitive Restructuring in CBT Mean?
Cognitive restructuring in CBT means that you identify—and then change—the unhealthy thoughts and beliefs driving problematic behaviors.
During cognitive-behavioral therapy in Tampa, your therapist will help you identify the unhealthy thoughts and beliefs at the root of mental health conditions and substance abuse. Throughout your sessions, your therapist will look for patterns in your thoughts and beliefs. After that, you’ll work on restructuring these thoughts into helpful ones.
Oftentimes, cognitive restructuring involves work outside of your therapy sessions as well. Your therapist might ask you to write out negative thoughts and beliefs about yourself, others, and the world around you. Then, your therapist will guide you through changing these beliefs.
Remember the first step in cognitive restructuring is raising your awareness.
You’ll start to notice the automatic negative thoughts that come up when stressed or triggered. Before therapy, these thoughts and beliefs might have seemed out of your control or even outside of your awareness. But, as you expand your awareness of your thought patterns, you can restructure these thoughts into something helpful.
The following are examples of cognitive restructuring:
- “Bad things always happen to me.” → “Life has ups and downs, and I can handle adversity while showing gratitude for the good things.”
- “I don’t deserve to be happy.” → “I do deserve to feel happy.”
- “I should be further along in my life than I am now.” → “I can strive to be a better person today than I was yesterday.”
- “I’ve wasted every opportunity I’ve ever had.” → “I can learn from the past to make better decisions today.”
- “My depression burdens everyone else in my life.” → “My loved ones are concerned about how I feel, and they want to support me as I heal.”
What Is Behavioral Activation in CBT?
Behavioral activation is another technique in CBT where you engage in meaningful activities to combat isolation and avoidance.
Avoidance and isolation are common symptoms of underlying mental health conditions. When you’re struggling with anxiety, for example, you might avoid social situations for fear of having a panic attack. However, engaging in behaviors regardless of symptoms is crucial to healing.
Behavioral activation is gradual. That way, you don’t get overwhelmed and work on manageable goals. For instance, if you’ve been avoiding friends due to depression, you can reconnect over the phone first before meeting up in person.
What Does Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Treat?
Our cognitive-behavioral therapy in Tampa treats the following mental health disorders:
- Anxiety: CBT is the standard therapy for treating anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety, specific phobias, and panic disorders.
- Depression: Behavioral activation and cognitive restructuring during CBT can help you re-engage in life when you struggle with depression.
- Bipolar Disorder: Along with mood stabilizers and other psychiatric medications, CBT is an effective way to treat symptoms of bipolar disorder.
- PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) responds well to CBT, as well as other therapies, such as brainspotting, EMDR therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
- OCD: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is best treated by CBT because this disorder is characterized by distressing thought patterns driving irrational behaviors. (Recommended: What Does OCD Feel Like?)
- Schizoaffective Disorder: CBT can help you manage the distorted thought patterns caused by schizoaffective disorder.
- Schizophrenia: Severe psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia require a combination of therapy and antipsychotic medications for the best treatment outcomes.
- Dual Diagnosis Disorder: If you have a dual-diagnosis disorder—or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders—CBT can help you manage relapse triggers and symptoms.
Medically Reviewed
Medically Reviewed by
Jennifer Strong, LMHC
Written by Gulf Coast Recovery Staff Updated on January 12, 2024
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Begin Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Tampa, FL
Our cognitive-behavioral therapy in Tampa, Florida, treats several mental health conditions. Due to its proven effectiveness, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the standard treatments for mental health and dual-diagnosis disorders.
Contact Gulf Coast Recovery Center to begin CBT today.
Additional Resources
- 7 Misconceptions About Mental Illness
- When Do I Go to the Hospital for Anxiety?
- Avoidant Personality Disorder vs Social Anxiety
- Borderline Personality Disorder Vs Bipolar
- Mixed Anxiety and Depression: Know the Signs
- The Florida Baker Act: How Do I Get Someone Baker Acted?
- Combatting the Stigma of Mental Illness
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