Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT : Group Settings Versus Family Settings Essay

CBT

From the onset, it would be prudent to note that CBT has been shown to be an effective therapy technique – especially in attempts to adapt the behaviors of persons as well as alter their patters of thought. Indeed, as the American Psychological Association – APA (2017) points out, some of the concerns that CBT has been effective in addressing (as indicated by various research studies) include, but they are not limited to, “depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders and severe mental illness.” In this text, I assess the utilization of CBT in family settings in comparison to its utilization in group settings. Further, I highlight some of the challenges that counselors could come across in their deployment of CBT in group settings.

To begin with, it is important to note that when CBT is applied to families, the focus happens to be largely on what Bieling, McCabe, and Anthony (2013) refer to as “the interactional dynamics of family members and how they contribute to family functioning and dysfunction” (p. 109). It is considered a short-term approach to treatment. The overall focus on this front still happens to be the modification of behavior and the alteration or adjustment of interactional patterns in the familial realm. As a consequence, in my own practicum experiences, I have found that family CBT often results in improved communication which often has a positive impact on family units – especially in the treatment of mental health issues. Thus, the various principles that could be deployed on this front are inclusive of; negotiation…

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…patients dropping out of treatment. This is more so the case given that in a recent study, it was found that there is often a significant dropout rate in group CBT (Thimm and Antonsen, 2014). There is need to examine predictors of dropout so as to maximize the effectiveness of group CBT. Next, a counselor would have to contend with issues relating to confidentiality. This is more so the case given that as O’Hare (2020) points out, information is in this case revealed to both the counselor and other participants in the group. According to the author, “there is no guarantee that other group members will maintain confidentiality” (O’Hare, 2020, p. 177). The counselor could minimize confidentiality breaches by discussing with the group the relevance of confidentiality, as well as the most appropriate approaches towards…