Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Alongside 12
Step therapy clients take part in Cognitive Behavioural
Therapy (CBT), which helps them break down issues into manageable
parts and identify strategies and behaviours to address them.
CBT is a talking therapy
that is usually delivered in one-to-one sessions with a therapist
over a number of sessions – commonly between 6 and 15. It can also
be delivered effectively in a group of 6-12 people. During CBT
people identify the patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviours
that maintain their drug or alcohol use. They learn specific new
strategies for breaking these patterns, and they practise these
outside the therapy sessions, often keeping a diary of their
experiences. CBT deals mainly with the present, rather than the
past, and has a problem solving style, with the person and their
therapist working in collaboration to find new solutions. CBT has
been shown to be very effective for depression and anxiety
disorders, and there is now good evidence that CBT tailored
specifically for substance misuse can be effective treatment for
both harmful use and drug or alcohol dependence. Depression and
anxiety problems very commonly co-exist with substance misuse, and
in these cases a CBT approach can be particularly valuable.
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