Are you considering a cognitive-behavioral therapy program? Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy or talk therapy based on the psychological principles of behaviorism and theories of cognition.
CBT is a common component in many mental health treatment plans because it involves focusing on efforts to identify and change problematic behaviors, emotions, and thought patterns — while also providing tools to discover and practice healthy coping mechanisms. Searching for a cognitive-behavioral therapy program in Panama City Beach, Florida? Reach out to Recovery Bay Center today. You can call 833.991.2955 or contact our team online.
What Is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?
CBT helps clients struggling with addiction, and is particularly effective for clients who started using addictive substances as a form of self-medication.
In CBT sessions, clients meet with a therapist, who can be a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or a social worker. These sessions can be one-on-one, with a group of peers, or with family or household members. CBT’s goals are to:
- Get clients to identify and understand their behaviors, feelings, and thoughts
- Help clients change behaviors that cause problems in day-to-day life
- Show clients how to replace problematic feelings and thoughts with more realistic and positive ones
Because CBT helps clients examine their actions and motivations for doing them, it can be particularly helpful in cases where addictive substances are used for self-medication.
How Do Healthy CBT Coping Mechanisms Help With Addiction Recovery?
Coping skills that CBT can help clients learn and practice aid in dealing with uncomfortable emotions, making better life decisions, feeling better physically, and more. These cognitive strategies are especially beneficial for clients with certain mental health conditions — including substance use disorders (SUDs) — because they involve dealing with negative emotions healthily and getting through difficult situations with less anxiety, depression, tension, and stress. These coping skills include the following:
Behavioral activation
When clients feel depressed or anxious, they may be less likely to do things they enjoy. Behavioral activation helps clients learn how to be more active and more involved in areas of life that are enjoyable and pleasurable.
Cognitive restructuring
This is a common CBT coping skill. How clients evaluate and think about themselves, other people, and events can have a major impact on their mood. This cognitive coping strategy focuses on identifying negative thoughts or evaluations and then modifying them.
Diaphragmatic breathing
Also called breathing retraining or deep breathing, this coping mechanism is a basic cognitive strategy for managing anxiety. It involves pulling the diaphragm down while taking a deep breath.
Listing pros and cons
When faced with a decision, clients can sometimes feel paralyzed and unable to make the best choice. Listing pros and cons is a cognitive coping strategy that can help clients identify the best path to take.
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)
This is a relaxation exercise that can be an effective way to reduce anxiety and stress. It involves alternating between tensing and relaxing different muscle groups throughout the body.
Self-monitoring
This is another basic CBT coping skill. To a large extent, self-monitoring is at the core of all cognitive coping strategies — because to address a problem or a symptom, self-monitoring is needed to become aware of any problem.
Setting and managing goals
This CBT coping skill involves approaching goals in a way that improves mood and quality of life, as opposed to increasing distress.
When Should You Consider a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program?
Addiction recovery can be a difficult path to take without professional help. Not only would not getting professional help mean that someone would attempt to overcome addiction without prescription medication but also without psychotherapy.
However, it’s been shown in many studies that CBT may help clients change their substance usage habits. CBT also teaches new and healthier coping skills to help clients struggling with addiction eventually deal with cravings, relapses, and other sources of stress.
Ready To Learn More About Recovery Bay Center’s Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program?
If you’re looking for a cognitive-behavioral therapy program in Panama City Beach, Florida, contact Recovery Bay Center today. You can call 833.991.2955 or reach out to our team online.