Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as Corrective Treatment

[Name of the Course]

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Introduction

Mental illness is a psychological condition caused primarily by disorders in personality, thoughts or emotions. It often results in impairment of psychological and social functioning of the individual. Such disorders can be rectified with various therapies involving affective, behavioral, cognitive or perceptual components. This paper aims to support the statement “Cognitive Behavioral Theory is highly effective for Correctional Clients” discussing its background, development, evidence studies and a related case study.

History and Development

CBT history of origin and development is told in two ways. One is the medical story of psychotic treatment and other is in the context of applied psychology (Pilgrim, 2011). The origins of behavioral psychiatry can be traced back in medical hypnotism by Pavlov Gantt and Janet. Pavlov experimented on dogs by presenting them with ambiguous stimuli. Based on the results, Pavlov concluded that it they can be conditioned in clinical settings, then they can be reconditioned in same settings (Pilgrim, 2011). The behavioral therapy referred as initial wave was formed by Pavlov with behavioral modification presented by Skinnerian in 1950s. A notable clinical psychologist, Albert Ellis, proposed a novel version of behavioral therapy knows as rational therapy in 1955. The therapists found that methods of relaxation, desensitization can only be effective for minority of psychotic problems. They began to apply behavioral therapy to inner events of thoughts and feelings.

The work of Aaron Bech for CBT in 1976 brought the second wave called as cognitive revolution by analyzing the impact of thinking (cognition) on behaviors and emotions. The use of social influence, interpersonal negotiation in treating mental illness started in order to control undesirable or maladaptive thinking and actions of an individual (Laidlaw & Davidson, 2008).

The discourse of CBT became widely selected for psychologists and psychiatrists treating a variety of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorder, and personality disorder and so on. Cognitive therapy can be diversified and tailored according to patients' need. Forms of CBT include multimodal therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP), functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) and integrative behavioral couple therapy (IBCT) (Hides & Samet, 2010). CBT offers evidence based treatment and it highly effective. Moreover, its commitment to the rationality over non rational thinking results in greater happiness for many patients. The theory is known for its simplicity and transparency. Due to these aspects, policy makers readily adopted CB therapies in treatment plans.

Significance and Evidences in Psychiatric Nursing

Behavior is a product of learning from simple or complex experiences. A person's behavior can be changed in a positive or a negative way by reinforcing the sentiments. Feelings, thoughts and emotions of an individual are immeasurable, but behavior can be analyzed (Corey, 2009). Okun and Kantrowits proposed that the inability of science to measure and evaluate the psychological approaches has led to utilize behavioral approaches. This gives the precise, measurable and verifiable outcome.

Corey stated that behavior of the patient can be observed, and common determinants can ...