Behavior Therapy vs. CBT
Viewing both sides of Behavior & Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Definitions and how they compare:
Behavior Therapy is a treatment that helps change self-destructing behaviors that a person could potentially get themselves involved in.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a form of treatment that focuses on viewing relationships between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
“Both approaches have a lot in common, such as:
- The therapist and client work together with a mutual understanding that the therapist has theoretical and technical expertise, but the client is the expert on him- or herself.
- The therapist seeks to help the client discover that he/she is powerful and capable of choosing positive thoughts and behaviors.
- Treatment is often short-term. Clients actively participate in treatment in and out of session. Homework assignments often are included in therapy. The skills that are taught in these therapies require practice.
- Treatment is goal-oriented to resolve present-day problems. Therapy involves working step-by-step to achieve goals.
- The therapist and client develop goals for therapy together, and track progress toward goals throughout the course of treatment.” (unknown)
Cognitive
Behavior
Therapy
Goals and how are they different:
Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy are slightly different. They each have different goals.
Behavior Therapy helps patients replace their bad habits with good ones. BT helps clients cope with difficult situations. The general goals for Behavior Therapy are to increase personal choice and once the goals are agreed upon, the process of defining begins.
CBT focuses on distinguishing between thoughts and feelings. In CBT, patients learn to develop skills to notice and correct their thoughts. The goals for Cognitive Behavior Therapy are to help individuals achieve suspension of their disorder and to prevent relapse.
The outcome of using them together:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a mixture of Psychotherapy and Behavioral Therapy. Psychotherapy expresses how thinking patterns start from early childhood and Behavioral Therapy focuses on the relationship between the problems, the behavior, and the client’s thoughts.
When using both of them together, not only are you finding the source of your thoughts and feelings, but you are also changing your attitude and the way you look at the problem along with how you deal with your emotions. “The terms cognitive and behavioral, however, are often used interchangeably as evidenced by cognitive therapy articles that focus on behavioral processes and behavioral therapy articles that focus on cognitive processes and this may lead to confusion.” (Cecil, 2008)
Best Treatment for Procrastination:
Cognitive Behavior Therapy would be the best choice in dealing with procrastination. Usually a person that waits to the last minute suffers from a form of depression, anxiety, or guilt, if this is something that is done often. It would be best to analyze the problem, have the client to become mindful of their situations, make a priority list to follow, have the client try and finish the quicker tasks first, and have them restructure themselves in order to get over procrastinating.
References:
Aznavour, L. (2011). Procrastination Conquered, Dr. Louise Aznavour PhD. Psychologists Montreal-Canada. Retrieved on April 20, 2015 from: https://youtu.be/j2wiRL5Jt_w
Cecil, D. P. PhD. (2008). Cognitive and Behavioral Approaches: To Blend or Not To Blend. Washington, DC: NASW Press
Unknown. (N.D.). About Psychological Treatment. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Retrieved on April 20, 2015 from: www.abct.org/information/?m=mInformtion&fa=_WhatIsCBTpublic