Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

The benefits of CBT have been extensively studied and are well-documented. Often referred to as “the gold standard of psychotherapy”, it is considered an effective treatment for a variety of issues, including anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and eating disorders.

Some of the benefits of CBT in addiction counselling include:

• CBT can help you to develop coping skills and strategies to manage your symptoms and improve your overall well-being.
• CBT can be tailored to your specific needs, making it a highly personalised form of therapy.
• CBT is typically short-term and goal-oriented, with many individuals seeing significant improvement in their symptoms within a few months of treatment.
• CBT can provide you with a sense of control over your own mental health, empowering you to make positive changes in your life.
• CBT can improve communication and relationships as it helps you to control your emotional responses and move forward in healthier ways.
• CBT can be an effective tool in preventing relapse as it can help you to pinpoint triggers and put a stop to belief cycles that lead to substance abuse.

Taking part in CBT as part of a well-rounded treatment programme gives you the opportunity to turn your life around. CBT will treat your addiction and any co-occurring mental health disorders, leading to greater enjoyment and happiness in your day-to-day life.

During your CBT session, you will talk with your therapist who will guide you through exercises to explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. They will use the ABCDE model, a series of five steps developed by psychologist Robert Ellie, to help you delve deeper into your thought patterns, giving you the opportunity to understand and change them.

The ABCDE model looks at the:

• Activating event: a life event, for example, childhood trauma.
• Belief system: the life event leads you to believe something negative and irrational, for example; the trauma makes you think you are unworthy.
• Consequences: the consequences can be emotional and behavioural; for example, you drink alcohol to numb the pain of your trauma.
• Disputing: with your therapist, you will learn to dispute irrational beliefs; for example, the trauma was out of your control and does not make you unworthy.
• Effects: develop a new response and change the destructive thinking pattern.

CBT aims to highlight the thinking behind your behaviour, challenge irrational thoughts and form a new perspective. This method can be carried forward even after rehab treatment, allowing you to continue critically examining your thoughts and turn them into positives.

CBT is a versatile form of therapy which can be used in several ways, depending on your individual needs. Some other methods in which CBT can be implemented include:

Cognitive restructuring

Cognitive restructuring is a technique used in CBT to help you identify negative thoughts and challenge them through rational thinking. The goal is to replace negative thoughts with more positive and realistic ones. For example, replacing the harmful thought, “I need to drink alcohol to feel happy”, with a new one, “I can be happy without having to drink.”

Behavioural experiments

Behavioural experiments aim to test negative beliefs and disprove them, in turn developing more accurate and positive beliefs. As an example, you could believe that you need to take prescription drugs in order to relax. Through behavioural experiments, you will try out different relaxation techniques, finding that there are other ways to relax and therefore debunking your own theory.

Exposure therapy

Exposure therapy works by safely exposing you to triggers, with the therapist gradually increasing the intensity of the exposure in a controlled manner. A trigger can be anything that causes cravings or urges to use substances. This could include certain people, places or situations that you associate with drug or alcohol use. With this technique, you can learn how to cope with triggers and avoid relapse, even in challenging situations.

Banbury Lodge offers CBT as part of our extensive rehabilitation programme, combined with a variety of other therapy modalities and holistic activities. At our addiction treatment centre, you will also have access to:

• Individual
• Group therapy sessions
• Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
• 12-step therapy
• Family therapy
• Art therapy
• Sound therapy
• Mindfulness
• Meditation

Using CBT in conjunction with these effective treatments can set you up for success as you battle addiction recovery. If you are ready to get started, or if you have any questions about CBT and our rehab programme, please don’t hesitate to get in touch

Disclaimer:

The availability of therapies may vary across UKAT centres. The specific therapies provided will be determined based on your treatment plan and the programme offered at your chosen facility. All treatments are subject to clinical assessment and programme availability at the time of admission. For further details on the therapies included in your treatment plan, please contact our admissions team.