Why Choose CBT?
Scroll down to learn about some of the benefits CBT has to offer.
1.
CBT works.
CBT is the most widely studied and supported form of psychotherapy available. CBT (and its variants) has strong research support showing its effectiveness for anxiety disorders, mood disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, borderline personality disorder, insomnia, substance use disorders, and chronic pain. CBT is also effective for helping people cope more effectively with their emotional reactions to everyday life stressors, such as employment or financial difficulties, relationship conflict, or grief and loss.
Although other types of therapy have proven effective for a subset of these issues, none of these alternatives is as effective for as wide a variety of presenting issues as CBT. That said, no existing therapy—CBT included—is 100% effective; however, by incorporating progress measures to monitor when therapy is not working as expected, CBT therapists will have a timely signal for when to explore modifications or alternatives with their clients to improve outcome.
2.
CBT is efficient and often time-limited.
By focusing on the present and carrying out specific action plans between sessions to make small changes in your thinking and behaviour every day, CBT can provide you with the tools you need to end therapy in a shorter amount of time. You’re not spending years in therapy trying to make sense of the past and hoping for some “aha” moment where everything suddenly clicks into place. Instead, you’re actively learning skills to pinpoint what habits you have that are ineffective for your goals, and you're developing new ways of thinking and behaving that are more realistic and effective. As a result, CBT treatment plans often involve only 6 to 18 sessions.
3.
CBT equips you to become your own therapist.
Because CBT is collaborative and educational, you'll learn all the hows, whats, whens, and whys behind the skills you learn so that you can continue building on your treatment gains long after you stop attending sessions. Also, because most of the work in CBT happens between sessions as you complete your action plans, you’re more likely to have your breakthroughs on your own without your therapist. This way, you’ll be more likely to credit yourself for all the positive changes you start to see, and instead of becoming dependent on attending therapy to feel good, you’ll have the tools and confidence you need to end therapy and keep taking steps to improve your wellness as your own therapist.
4.
CBT is cost-effective.
Given the other benefits of CBT already mentioned—that it works, it works relatively quickly, and it keeps working after you stop therapy—it follows that CBT is cost-effective. When you think about the costs of not taking action to address mental health issues—for example, the costs of missed work, unused gym memberships, or alcohol and drugs to temporarily escape your problems—you can start to see CBT as an investment in a longer-term solution.
5.
CBT is accessible.
One of the great things about CBT is how readily accessible it is. For one, the popularity of CBT means that if you ever move or decide you’d prefer to resume therapy with another therapist, what you’ve learned at ThinkWell CBT can be easily picked up by another CBT-trained therapist elsewhere.
There are also so many workbooks, websites, and smartphone apps that use terms familiar to you from your CBT sessions, allowing you to supplement what you’re learning in therapy sessions with less expensive alternatives. These readily available resources are also a great way to help you maintain your therapy gains after you’ve completed a course of CBT. Mental health professionals are continually reading and participating in additional training to keep developing their skills throughout their careers, so it makes sense that after you’ve become your own therapist, you too will want to review what you’ve learned from time to time.
6.
CBT is adaptable.
CBT can be adapted to fit the varied needs and preferences of the diverse range of people seeking therapy. This adaptability is closely related to the degree of collaboration that occurs between you and your therapist to ensure that the case conceptualization at the heart of your therapy incorporates your unique characteristics and background. As a result, CBT can be adapted to suit your values and goals regardless of your age, gender, sexual orientation, race, culture, socioeconomic status, ability level, or religious or spiritual beliefs and practices.
CBT can also be adapted to be delivered in either individual or group format, which you can choose between based on your individual preferences, the availability of these different services at your time of need, and your financial situation. Whether you choose individual or group services, CBT treatment plans can be developed to be broken down into multiple shorter segments to adapt for different budgets or schedules. This modular format allows you to address a select portion of your treatment needs, go off and practice new skills on your own, and return to therapy when timing or resources are such that you’re ready to continue building towards your treatment goals.
Finally, because CBT is effective for such a broad range of mental health issues, any cognitive or behavioural strategies that you learn to improve one area of your life can easily be adapted or redirected to address new issues or goals that may arise over your lifetime. This adaptability to new treatment targets means that you’ll never be starting from scratch to learn a new therapy model if you decide to expand the focus of your treatment.
Keep learning about CBT by clicking on the links below.