Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
What is it?
The Cognitive Behavioural approach looks to identify a person’s emotions, thoughts and behaviours in order to adapt to a difficult and/or stressful situation. Each of these factors are interdependent and impact one another. CBT’s focus is on challenging an individuals’ automatic negative thoughts in order to have a balance perspective of the situation. Behaviours are just as important as thoughts. Behaviours influence our emotions and our attitudes of the situation at hand. CBT’s goal is to provide an alternative balanced perspective and choice.
Interventions that are used in a CBT based approach:
-Cognitive restructuring/thought challenging
-Exposure
-Behavioural experiments
-Relaxation
Narrative Therapy
What does that mean?
The Narrative approach seeks to help an individual become aware of the stories that they create throughout their life which reflects their perception of themselves. The clients are the experts of their own life; therefore, the focus is on changing their current narrative to an empowering narrative. This occurs by identifying an individuals’ skills and values in order to effectively challenge current narrative. In challenging the person’s problematic narrative of their story, they create and believe in the preferred and alternative story.
Interventions that are used in a Narrative based approach:
-Externalization
-Storytelling
-Deconstruction
-Preferred alternate outcomes
Systemic Therapy
Who does it involve?
The systemic approach focuses on the interactions and relationships between one or more people. The way a person communicates and behaves can be associated with the relationships they grew up with and developed throughout their life. These relationships can affect one’s self-perception and attachment styles with family, partners and friends. It can reveal patterns and habits that one has not noticed and/or been aware of. This can help one understand their belief and the roles they have within different relationships.
Interventions that are used in a Gottman- systemic based approach:
-Love maps
-Conflict management
-Shared meaning
-Creation of shared meaning
