Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Washington
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a type of talking therapy that is widely used in addiction recovery. It is also useful in managing mental health problems that often accompany substance abuse. In this article, we provide an overview of cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT, helping you understand what it is and how it can help you. We also discuss some of the techniques used during cognitive behavioral therapy Washington offers.
What is cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT?
The underlying concept behind CBT is that a person’s emotions, thoughts, and actions are interlinked and that negative feelings can lead to problems like substance abuse. The goal is to help people improve their state of mind during cognitive behavioral therapy Washington and to enable them to replace negative feelings with positive ones. It is worth noting that cognitive behavioral therapy does not analyze a person’s past. Rather, it focuses on current issues that affect a person’s mental health and addiction.
Cognitive behavioral therapy Washington is used by leading drug rehab centers like Discover Recovery as part of evidence-based addiction treatment. CBT therapists help clients learn new skills to deal with challenging life problems in a healthy way. The idea is to teach clients certain strategies that will help them deal with stressors without turning to drugs or alcohol.
When you participate in cognitive behavioral therapy Washington, you will learn how negative thought patterns influence the way you feel and act, and how changing these patterns can improve your life and help you stay clean.
How does CBT work?
Cognitive behavioral therapy Washington is a highly structured form of psychotherapy that is used to help people change unhealthy thought patterns. These negative thoughts and behaviors are often responsible for driving people towards alcohol and drugs. Therefore, changing them can help a person overcome addiction to harmful substances.
During a session of cognitive behavioral therapy Washington, the therapist helps a client break down overwhelming problems into smaller parts. The feelings, thoughts, emotions, and actions associated with the problem are analyzed to understand their effect on drug and alcohol use. The client is then taught to replace negative feelings with positive ones and practice these changes on a daily basis. Interestingly, the skills a person learns during cognitive behavioral therapy Washington are lifelong, i.e., they can be applied to a variety of problems besides substance abuse.
Techniques used in CBT
Cognitive behavioral therapy Washington is a science-based, practical approach to problem-solving that helps to correct the underlying cause of substance use disorders. CBT is also useful in helping people with mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Many of these mental illnesses often co-occur with substance abuse. Therefore, cognitive behavioral therapy Washington addresses both problems together and is a useful therapeutic modality in dual diagnosis patients.
The underlying principle of cognitive behavioral therapy Washington is that a person’s thoughts influence their emotions and their emotions influence their actions. CBT works by helping a person gain awareness of their thoughts as well as the consequences of these thoughts. As a result of cognitive behavioral therapy Washington, a person develops a better understanding of how their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors led to addiction.
The techniques used in cognitive behavioral therapy Washington include recognizing negative thoughts, learning to stop generalizing negative experiences, learning to see that situations are not either good or bad but can be something in between, learning to see how positive thoughts can be beneficial, and learning the difference between assumptions and evidence-backed thoughts.
What happens during CBT?
During a session of cognitive behavioral therapy Washington, the therapist will help you identify and interrupt negative thoughts. You will learn to anticipate bad thoughts and take actions to control them. Some of the exercises you may be asked to perform as part of cognitive behavioral therapy Washington include:
- Discussing negative or irrational thoughts and emotions
- Keeping a record of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors
- Replacing negative thoughts with positive ones
- Revisiting strong emotions and memories with the therapist
- Increasing participation in healthy activities to reduce negative thinking
Is cognitive behavioral therapy right for me?
Cognitive behavioral therapy Washington is a good choice for you if you are struggling with alcohol or drug abuse and are motivated to overcome your addiction. A key feature of CBT is that it focuses on the present, not the past. For this reason, CBT is sometimes less effective in people with a traumatic past, for example, childhood abuse. In other words, cognitive behavioral therapy Washington focuses more on current issues and problems. It works well for people who are struggling with addiction related to more recent issues.
During a CBT session, the therapist will not merely listen to you talking. Rather, cognitive behavioral therapy Washington will involve back-and-forth dialogue between you and your therapist. What’s more, cognitive behavioral therapy Washington is a relatively short-term treatment and you should begin to notice benefits within a few weeks. Last but not least, CBT will teach you skills you can apply to your daily life and use for years after your addiction recovery is complete.
To gain maximum benefits from cognitive behavioral therapy Washington, you will have to commit yourself fully to the process. This means attending sessions regularly and following your therapist’s advice.
Cognitive behavioral therapy Washington at Discover Recovery
Discover Recovery Treatment Center is a leading drug rehab that offers cognitive behavioral therapy Washington. The masters level therapists at Discover Recovery are highly experienced in CBT and use it as one of the treatment modalities in addiction recovery. Our CBT therapists in Washington will help you frankly discuss your thoughts and emotions, learn to challenge and interrupt negative feelings, replace them with positive ones, and develop skills you can use in your daily life. As a result of cognitive behavioral therapy Washington, you’ll gain deeper insight into your thought patterns and how they affect your addiction. You’ll also learn to be more assertive about positive thinking and leveraging it to stay clean.
At Discover Recovery drug rehab center, we use holistic, evidence-based addiction treatment modalities, including medical detox, medication management, and cognitive behavioral therapy Washington. If you or someone you love is battling drug or alcohol abuse and could benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy Washington, get in touch with us today to learn more about our programs.
