[AllyIsHopeful]

Anyone who currently does CBT or has in the past....I need some help. Especially from people who have experienced other forms of therapy as well.

I have made up my mind and want to give CBT a try. My current T is just regular psychotherapy and does not specialize in CBT, so I would need to find another therapist.

1.) How does CBT feel different from other forms of therapy?

2.) What is the dialogue typically like in a CBT session?

3.) What was your reason for seeing CBT rather than another form of therapy, and how has it worked for you so far?

4.) Is it okay to continue seeing my current therapist and try CBT at the same time? Or is it more effective to be dedicated to one type at a time?

5.) If I do continue normal psychotherapy and start attending CBT simultaneously, will there be added benefit to me or is it pointless to do both? What are your experiences/opinions?

Thanks in advance to whoever reads this and helps with my questions. If you can't answer all of them, I understand. These are just all the questions that are feeding my procrastination on the matter.

[owlpride]

CBT T was very directive. What concrete goal shall we focus on first? Try these exercises. What are you thinking when you start getting anxious? CBT T did most of the talking in session (explaining exercises, commenting on my thinking process, psychoeducation, etc), which was very different from psychodynamic/humanistic T.

I personally did not like CBT very much. Or maybe I just didn't like the T. I felt like I was being put into boxes and not appreciated as an individual with my own strengths and struggles. "You say you experience A and B, which is indicative of condition C, whose treatment protocol is D." Unfortunately, those protocols didn't work very well for me. If breathing exercises or taking walks would solve my anxiety problems, I wouldn't need therapy in the first place... When his exercises didn't work for me, T said that I was too unstable for therapy and that my best bet was life-long psychiatric medication.

[AllyIsHopeful]

Yikes! This does not sound like a good experience. What right does any therapist have to say things like this to a client? He basically said your doomed and your only option is to be drugged for the rest of forever. Well this definitely did not sell me on CBT! lol
Sorry your experience was sucky.

Originally Posted by owlpride

CBT T was very directive. What concrete goal shall we focus on first? Try these exercises. What are you thinking when you start getting anxious? CBT T did most of the talking in session (explaining exercises, commenting on my thinking process, psychoeducation, etc), which was very different from psychodynamic/humanistic T.

I personally did not like CBT very much. Or maybe I just didn't like the T. I felt like I was being put into boxes and not appreciated as an individual with my own strengths and struggles. "You say you experience A and B, which is indicative of condition C, whose treatment protocol is D." Unfortunately, those protocols didn't work very well for me. If breathing exercises or taking walks would solve my anxiety problems, I wouldn't need therapy in the first place... When his exercises didn't work for me, T said that I was too unstable for therapy and that my best bet was life-long psychiatric medication.

[Mactastic]

I have no experience with CBT but I'm also considering it (a CBT therapist is calling me today! ) The way Owl described it is exactly like a YouTube video I saw where 2 psychology students were role-playing to demonstrate what it looks like. I figure I can't make a judgement call until I talk with a CBT therapist.

[HazelGirl]

CBT can be hit and miss. A good therapist (one who is flexible) and someone who genuinely doesn't have good coping skills can benefit from it. But if you know how to cope (exercise, eating right, relaxation, etc...), CBT is nearly useless. It helps you pick apart your mind but if lifestyle changes and forcing yourself to think differently don't help your condition, then CBT won't help.

[AllyIsHopeful]

So if I already know all the things I could do to attempt to cope better or change my mood is it pointless to try CBT? I know the changes I should make like correcting my sleeping habits, exercise, eating better, etc. but I really struggle with actually doing those things. I'm super inconsistent and can never stick to them..

Originally Posted by HazelGirl

CBT can be hit and miss. A good therapist (one who is flexible) and someone who genuinely doesn't have good coping skills can benefit from it. But if you know how to cope (exercise, eating right, relaxation, etc...), CBT is nearly useless. It helps you pick apart your mind but if lifestyle changes and forcing yourself to think differently don't help your condition, then CBT won't help.

-Hope

[grimtopaz]

The important thing to keep in mind is that a lot of therapists claim to do "CBT" but
1. A lot of them integrate other therapeutic approaches (most of them do), and
2. CBT is actually somewhat of an umbrella term that encompasses a wide variety of techniques.

In general, CBT therapists are more "active" in session than therapists who practice other modalities. That is, they treat patients as collaborators and are more directive in their input and in giving suggestions. Personally, I don't like completely impartial therapists who remain neutral at all costs, so this is a good thing.

CBT sessions tend to be more structured. But again, it depends on the T. You don't just talk about what's on your mind, they direct the session a bit more and provide a lot of psychoeducation.

Technically, CBT involves a lot of "homework", this can be anything from thought-records, so simple recommendations like "be mindful of your feelings this week".

The therapeutic relationship IS considered important in CBT, but is thought to be more of a "working alliance". That is, the purpose of the relationship is to help you feel comfortable and safe enough to do "the work". CBT therapists do NOT "work through transference". However, if they feel that your feelings toward them are interfering with "the work", they will discuss the relationship.

I think that "by the book" CBT is best suited for concrete problems. However, it really depends on how your T practices CBT.

In my experience, my T has tried CBT for about a year and then realized that I need to do more work with my feelings rather than my thoughts (even though they are interconnected). She also thinks I could benefit from discussing my childhood (generally done superficially in CBT to see how you learned certain ways of thinking).

Again, varies greatly by therapist, but generally: better for concrete problems, more directive, more education, little discussion of childhood stuff, relationship IS important but thought of as a "working collaboration".

[HazelGirl]

Originally Posted by Hopelessly Hopeful

So if I already know all the things I could do to attempt to cope better or change my mood is it pointless to try CBT? I know the changes I should make like correcting my sleeping habits, exercise, eating better, etc. but I really struggle with actually doing those things. I'm super inconsistent and can never stick to them..

-Hope

A CBT therapist can help you commit to making those changes and help you follow through. But if your problem is deep-rooted (child abuse, or something similar), CBT is like putting a bandaid on a bullet hole. It doesn't really fix the problem.

[Favorite Jeans]

I gave CBT a couple of brief tries. My hope was to get better without dredging up too much painful stuff. I liked the idea of just learning how to think better.

But in practice, to me, it always felt like one more thing to worry about failing at. I'm pretty driven normally and have a very strong, very critical inner voice. The whole thought of having extra therapy homework on top of depression and everything else I had to do was just discouraging. I always wanted to make excuses like "oops the dog ate my homework!" Also it felt like I had to develop a critical inner voice of my critical inner voice ("No. Wrong. Big cognitive distortion there! Don't be lazy, replace it with a more realistic thought. Oh you're jut being lazy and half-assed about getting over your depression!")

What I love about my current therapy is that, pretty much for the first time in my life, whatever is going on with me or wherever I am emotionally is just fine with my T. I worry about whether she's pleased or disappointed, engaged or bored, whether I've made progress or messed up... And she is just the same. She's fine. It's like I've passed just by showing up.

[Auntie2014]

I really liked CBT and DBT because I felt like I was learning and doing things to help myself rather than T just telling me what I felt or needed to do. I felt more in control of the outcome.

[owlpride]

Originally Posted by Hopelessly Hopeful

What right does any therapist have to say things like this to a client? He basically said your doomed and your only option is to be drugged for the rest of forever.

My thoughts exactly! I was upset enough to consider creating a Yelp page for the T just to leave him a bad review, but then I decided to leave the poor guy alone. On the bright side, I met my current T () after getting kicked out by this T, so it all turned out well.

[growlycat]

1.) How does CBT feel different from other forms of therapy?
On the plus side, it is very goal oriented and specific. I do both psychodynamic and cbt. I know exactly what to do every week (homework)and what we are working on.
On the downside, it doesn't feel "deep" and the T relationship is downplayed as a tool in cbt

2.) What is the dialogue typically like in a CBT session?
"What would you like to work on today", "When you have xyz thoughts, what can you replace those thoughts with?", "For homework I'd like you to…" "help me understand when you xyz unwanted behavior…"

3.) What was your reason for seeing CBT rather than another form of therapy, and how has it worked for you so far?
I have been seeing a psychodynamic t for literally years. I have some specific phobias and habits I want to tackle and the downside of psychodynamic is that you can talk about talking forever and ever. CBT is action oriented specific and oriented to alleviating symptoms now, not later. psychodynamic focuses more on the past, cBT the now and future

4.) Is it okay to continue seeing my current therapist and try CBT at the same time? Or is it more effective to be dedicated to one type at a time? I see both --for insurance reasons just let both of them know so they can code differently for billing. I find it very effective!

5.) If I do continue normal psychotherapy and start attending CBT simultaneously, will there be added benefit to me or is it pointless to do both? What are your experiences/opinions?
I have benefitted from doing both at the same time. It can be a financial and time burden but you can switch off weeks with both t's.

I have to say, I could never tolerate CBT without doing the deep psychodynamic therapy first. I am also lucky to have a CBT T who is very warm and caring and does not stress paperwork/worksheets as much as other CBT T's.

Hope this helps!!

[AllyIsHopeful]

Originally Posted by Mactastic

I have no experience with CBT but I'm also considering it (a CBT therapist is calling me today! ) The way Owl described it is exactly like a YouTube video I saw where 2 psychology students were role-playing to demonstrate what it looks like. I figure I can't make a judgement call until I talk with a CBT therapist.

Let me know how it goes.

[AllyIsHopeful]

Growly, that really does help! Thanks a bunch!

[AllyIsHopeful]

So I guess I have one more question....

Is it common to experience transference or extreme attachment to a CBT therapist? Since there really is no intense bonding over extremely personal and sensitive subjects...mostly just correcting automatic distorted thinking?

[Hoppery]

Well. A. is a mental health nurse specialist specialising in ADHD.
He is doing some sort of therapy with me. He said we won't go too deep into the past, but will look into it a little. He wants to help me with the problems I'm having now, not ones I have had in the past. Because I have Asperger's, he isn't giving me the structure that I requested of him. He isn't telling me his boundaries or rules probably because he knows I'll follow them so strictly. He is nice, funny, caring and kind. He seems to really want to help and seems to think he can be the one to help.

I see him once every 3 weeks. It sounds a little like CBT that he is trained in. He is taking his time to get to know me as he knows I have trust and abandonment issues. So right now, I think we are working on trusting and getting to know each other possibly with a small amount of CBT thrown in. He knows I'm not a short term job and I know I have him for at least all of 2014. Maybe longer if the NHS provides more funding for the ADHD clinic I go too. This is my first time in therapy. He is also doing what my ex Pdoc did: checking my blood pressure, pulse and weight once every three months. As well as my meds.

[HazelGirl]

Originally Posted by Hopelessly Hopeful

So I guess I have one more question....

Is it common to experience transference or extreme attachment to a CBT therapist? Since there really is no intense bonding over extremely personal and sensitive subjects...mostly just correcting automatic distorted thinking?

Yes, however it can be difficult to deal with it because CBT therapists aren't trained in it as much. Some are even completely avoidant of talking about it at all. But that depends on the T. However, transference can and does form.

[Amandasmom]

My T does CBT. She really focuses on thoughts, behaviors, and actions. We mainly discuss my present issues and ways to handle them better. We don't go a lot into the past. She always says ur words and thiughts have an effect on your behavior. Does not give me that much homework. Now she wants me to write 2 things a day I'm grateful for, this is hard for me to do. I have a history of CSA and we deal with those issues without going into much details from the past which I like. Yes, u can still develop transference as I see her as a great mentor that I wish I could be like her.

[Auntie2014]

Originally Posted by Hopelessly Hopeful

So I guess I have one more question....

Is it common to experience transference or extreme attachment to a CBT therapist? Since there really is no intense bonding over extremely personal and sensitive subjects...mostly just correcting automatic distorted thinking?

To me the T/Client relationship with CBT is more like a fondness for an old teacher than attachment and/or transference. Part of that could be that I am not as young as many others here. I look at any T as a professional that I am paying to provide a service. They are no different than my dentist or Lawyer. I am paying for their expertise NOT their affection.

[growlycat]

Originally Posted by Hopelessly Hopeful

So I guess I have one more question....

Is it common to experience transference or extreme attachment to a CBT therapist? Since there really is no intense bonding over extremely personal and sensitive subjects...mostly just correcting automatic distorted thinking?

For me, yes!! My psychodynamivc T feels like a parent, but I have a crush on CBT T.

[grimtopaz]

Originally Posted by Hopelessly Hopeful

So I guess I have one more question....

Is it common to experience transference or extreme attachment to a CBT therapist? Since there really is no intense bonding over extremely personal and sensitive subjects...mostly just correcting automatic distorted thinking?

I have a CBT therapist and I developed romantic transference/extreme attachment toward her. (I thought she was beautiful the moment I saw her, so I think part of the attraction is simply based on her being "my type".)

My T does not shy away from feelings when I bring them up. Perhaps she is not "strictly CBT" but a lot of the work she does is encouraging me to "feel my feelings" and not suppress them. Since I don't talk about my feelings to other people, our relationship feels very intimate.

I do talk about my childhood and she draws connections on how I have learned behaviors/developed some of patterns.

To answer your question, I think it depends on the therapist and how they use themselves as a tool in therapy.

[frog007]

Originally Posted by owlpride

CBT T was very directive. What concrete goal shall we focus on first? Try these exercises. What are you thinking when you start getting anxious? CBT T did most of the talking in session (explaining exercises, commenting on my thinking process, psychoeducation, etc), which was very different from psychodynamic/humanistic T.

I personally did not like CBT very much. Or maybe I just didn't like the T. I felt like I was being put into boxes and not appreciated as an individual with my own strengths and struggles. "You say you experience A and B, which is indicative of condition C, whose treatment protocol is D." Unfortunately, those protocols didn't work very well for me. If breathing exercises or taking walks would solve my anxiety problems, I wouldn't need therapy in the first place... When his exercises didn't work for me, T said that I was too unstable for therapy and that my best bet was life-long psychiatric medication.

Sorry to hear about the negative experience.

[recentdiscovery]

CBT worked great for me if only to get me to realize the thought distortions going on in my mind due to the depression. I don't need to concentrate on it so much anymore, it's more of an automatic thing now, in the beginning it was exhausting. Meds helped with CBT as well. I started CBT the first week unmedicated and it was very hard because of The Cloud.

I have a very rational mind though that capable of picking things apart in short time.

1.) How does CBT feel different from other forms of therapy?

I'm sure I've had other "forms" of therapy, but I've never had a therapist label it for me and I didn't particularly care about a label. I'm guessing my T's have been more eclectic and have personalized their techniques for what I needed most at the time.

2.) What is the dialogue typically like in a CBT session?
To me at least, a dialogue is a give and take, a conversation between two people, which is how I've experienced my sessions with my current T who is decidedly behavioral in his approach (although probably not exclusively CBT)

3.) What was your reason for seeing CBT rather than another form of therapy, and how has it worked for you so far?
Again, I didn't set out to find a behavioral therapist. It has worked beautifully for me so far. I have gained more from this therapy than all other therapy experiences combined, and they were good experiences themselves.

4.) Is it okay to continue seeing my current therapist and try CBT at the same time? Or is it more effective to be dedicated to one type at a time?

I don't know that there is one right answer for that question. Personally, I wouldn't want two therapists at a time, but that has nothing to do with orientation. I think this might depend on what you are going to CBT for. If it was an isolated issue like a phobia or anxiety, CBT along with other therapy would probably work, although I'd let both therapists know what is going on. My issues are much larger and more complex, so the one therapist seems to make more sense. Two would seem confusing/overwhelming in my case.

5.) If I do continue normal psychotherapy and start attending CBT simultaneously, will there be added benefit to me or is it pointless to do both? What are your experiences/opinions?

I think I covered that above.

CBT gets a bad rap by people who have experienced CBT therapists who stick to worksheets and refuse to explore history. Not all CBT therapists work that way though. Mine has never given me a worksheet and we work a lot on the correlation between my history and my present. I've improved leaps and bounds

[AllyIsHopeful]

Turns out my therapist was using CBT with me the whole time, I guess I just didn't understand it since it wasn't strictly within the description of CBT. Her style with me has been eclectic as well. She switches to psychodynamic when I'm in distress or crisis and when we have normal sessions it is very CBT oriented. She has never given me a single worksheet, just a couple homework assignments that involved reflecting and giving her the answers next session. She did give me this awesome "distorted automatic thoughts" paper though and I framed it and hung it in my room. It helps to be aware what distortion I am experiencing with each negative thought.

After much consideration, I agree with you in that my problems are very complex and two Ts may be more stressful than helpful.

Originally Posted by 1914sierra

1.) How does CBT feel different from other forms of therapy?


I'm sure I've had other "forms" of therapy, but I've never had a therapist label it for me and I didn't particularly care about a label. I'm guessing my T's have been more eclectic and have personalized their techniques for what I needed most at the time.


2.) What is the dialogue typically like in a CBT session?

To me at least, a dialogue is a give and take, a conversation between two people, which is how I've experienced my sessions with my current T who is decidedly behavioral in his approach (although probably not exclusively CBT)


3.) What was your reason for seeing CBT rather than another form of therapy, and how has it worked for you so far?

Again, I didn't set out to find a behavioral therapist. It has worked beautifully for me so far. I have gained more from this therapy than all other therapy experiences combined, and they were good experiences themselves.


4.) Is it okay to continue seeing my current therapist and try CBT at the same time? Or is it more effective to be dedicated to one type at a time?


I don't know that there is one right answer for that question. Personally, I wouldn't want two therapists at a time, but that has nothing to do with orientation. I think this might depend on what you are going to CBT for. If it was an isolated issue like a phobia or anxiety, CBT along with other therapy would probably work, although I'd let both therapists know what is going on. My issues are much larger and more complex, so the one therapist seems to make more sense. Two would seem confusing/overwhelming in my case.


5.) If I do continue normal psychotherapy and start attending CBT simultaneously, will there be added benefit to me or is it pointless to do both? What are your experiences/opinions?


I think I covered that above.


CBT gets a bad rap by people who have experienced CBT therapists who stick to worksheets and refuse to explore history. Not all CBT therapists work that way though. Mine has never given me a worksheet and we work a lot on the correlation between my history and my present. I've improved leaps and bounds

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