CBT Therapy in Colorado
CBT Therapy near Colorado Springs, CO
Substance abuse can co-occur with several mental health issues. Mental illness can truly be debilitating to people who struggle with substances. Some people might try to combat and overcome their issues independently, while others seek help from mental health professionals or licensed clinical social workers.
Fortunately, various effective treatment approaches and therapeutic modalities within addiction treatment deal with mental health problems. There are also different therapies and individual counseling options available to deal with mental health problems.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in the greater Colorado Springs and Denver areas is a great solution to improve their mental health while in recovery for substance abuse or trauma.
What Is CBT Therapy in Colorado?
Patients struggling with anxiety disorder and depression are the ones who most often utilize cognitive behavioral therapy. In some cases, a therapist might use CBT therapy to support their client by easing the symptoms of other mental health diagnoses. CBT is also a method of treatment that helps teach patients relaxation techniques.
A patient might also hear cognitive behavioral therapy referred to as talk therapy or psychotherapy. No matter the name used, this type of therapy works based on a few core principles. These include:
- Learned pattern behaviors are something that each patient struggles to overcome. These learned patterns of behavior are destructive and intensify the patient’s struggles.
- In most cases, the patient’s thinking is problematic and needs to be adjusted.
- CBT therapy can help patients build new skills and coping mechanisms to combat their mental health issues. These coping skills help the patient deal more effectively with daily tasks and challenges.
When our therapists offer CBT therapy at Healing Pines, they believe in these guiding principles and strive to provide their clients with the skills to adjust their thinking and subsequent behavior. Unlike some therapies that focus on the past, CBT examines the present and ways to change behaviors moving forward.
The family of CBT therapies includes a variety of approaches, such as:
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Exposure and Response Prevention
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy
- Behavior Therapy
- Mindfulness Training
- Exposure Therapy
The therapist will use the patient’s condition and preferences to decide on the CBT therapy that will benefit the patient most. In some cases, the type of therapy might change as the patient progresses, with different approaches (such as individual therapy, family therapy, and group therapy) being used.
What Does CBT Therapy Help With?
CBT therapy can help with a variety of different mental health disorders. Research has shown that it helps individuals manage and control their thoughts. Our trained mental health and substance abuse professionals can help individuals overcome intrusive thoughts and manage emotions with CBT therapy.
Disorders that CBT therapy helps with include:
- Depression
- Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Attacks
- Phobias
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Posttraumtic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Substance Abuse
- And More
Explore Some of the Goals of CBT Therapy in Colorado Springs
When one of our therapists and their client decide to employ cognitive behavioral therapy, they’ll set goals and milestones to ensure the therapy is helping the patient to get better. Some of the most common goals are:
The patient will be able to use the techniques and methods to change their destructive thought patterns and behave more appropriately for their overall mental health.
The patient should be able to identify how certain thought processes lead to destructive behavior. Once they identify these thought patterns, they change their thought process to react healthier to daily situations.
The patient learns to recognize their thought process and the effect on specific actions in real-time. This helps the patient understand how important it is to change their negative thought patterns to create better behavior patterns.
It’s of the utmost importance that the patient uses the techniques consistently. Each therapist will have their approach to CBT therapy and makes adjustments as the patient progresses or regresses.
CBT Techniques
After setting the goals for CBT therapy, there are various methods and techniques that the therapist might encourage the patient to use. Each patient is different, and the therapist might start with one technique and switch to another to see if more progress can be made.
It’s entirely possible that the therapist might use more than one CBT method. It’s important for the patient to realize there’s a little trial and error to find the most positive results. Some common techniques include:
Taking part in stressful situations
The patient and the therapist will look at stressful situations for the patient. Once the patient has learned some coping techniques, the patient will wade into a stressful situation. The goal is for the patient to use their new coping methods to react in a new, positive manner.
Talking about a patient's attributes
This is part of talk therapy, and the therapist asks the patient to describe themselves. As the patient falls into the pattern of negative thinking and expresses unfavorable opinions about themselves, the therapist works with them to redefine themselves.
Maintaining a journal
Most therapists will ask the patient to keep a journal in between sessions. The patient uses the journal to document any stressful situations, their thoughts, and the behaviors they exhibited. The journal will also be used for the patient to explore ways they might create a different outcome with a new thought process.
Easing the patient's sensitivity during stressful situations
The patient and therapist examine stressful situations and the patient’s reaction to them. They’ll explore ways the patient could have approached the activity in a new manner with a new thought process to make the situation less stressful.
Asking a series of questions
The therapist asks the patient questions about themselves and stressful situations in a controlled environment. As the patient answers these questions, the therapist encourages the patient to look at their answers in a new light or to put a more positive spin on their answers. This way, the patient can find new ways to overcome destructive thought patterns.
Find a Safe Place to Explore CBT Therapy in Colorado
When a person struggles with anxiety or depression, it can seem almost impossible to reach out for help even when they know they need it. At Healing Pines Recovery, we offer CBT therapy in Colorado Springs that allows patients to take the steps necessary for recovery.
Reach out to us to learn more about our program and take the next step.