Cognitive Behavioral Therapy a Change In Perspective

By Stacey Stickley, LLC

Potomac Psychological Center, LLC

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy a Change In Perspective

Talk therapy. “What good is that?” “How's that supposed to help me?” “There is something wrong with having to pay someone to listen to you.”

These are valid statements given the “mystery” that still surrounds clinical counseling and therapy.

There are different approaches to counseling, but a very effective and commonly practiced one is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Therapists practicing CBT work with clients to identify and increase their awareness of their current thought processes, belief systems, and value judgments. Frequently, our expectations about ourselves, events, or other people cause us disappointment and frustration because things don't go the way we expect them to and others don't act the way we think they “should”. Depending on life's different situations clients are challenged to look at situations and other people with a different perspective.

Therapy is challenging as it requires changing long-standing and ingrained beliefs that we have and the behavioral habits and ways of doing things that go with how we think. This can be hard work. It requires taking action and making changes. Talking and identifying problems is merely the initial step. However, seemingly slight changes in thinking can create noticeable differences in how we feel and behave.

Here's a simple, personal example of how my own thinking and expectations set me up for frustration. Traffic! Sometimes I can calmly sit in traffic and listen to my book on tape or the radio. Other times, I'm irate. It isn't the traffic that creates how I feel; it is my thinking.

When I expect to encounter traffic (during rush hour times, during events, or holidays), I am prepared for the back-up and I've anticipated other things to do with my “lost time”. When I encounter traffic at an off rush hour time that I didn't anticipate, I can become incensed with how my time is being wasted, how the DOT needs to fix a known problem, or how others need to be better drivers. Same traffic, but different thought patterns lead me to two very different emotional responses.

Fellow NOVA-ites the next time you find yourself “stalled in traffic”, use the time to focus on some problem solving in other areas of your life and examine how your thought processes may inadvertently be creating strife for you. If you aren't finding the solution, think about working with a therapist to increase your internal awareness and outer behavioral changes.

Good health to you.