NRNP 6645: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has emerged as a practical approach to treating a wide range of psychological disorders, including sleeping problems, depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and substance use disorders, and schizophrenia (David et al., 2018). CBT has also been applied to address relationship and marital issues in recent years. According to extensive studies, CBT significantly enhances the life quality and functioning of mental health patients by helping them reorganize thoughts and attitudes, modify behaviour, and develop coping strategies. CBT is based on scientific, research, and clinical practice frameworks, making it as effective as or more than other psychotherapy approaches. Since it involves interactions, CBT is usually applied as individual or group treatment. In this sense, this paper compares CBT in group and individual treatment contexts.

According to Thimm & Antonsen (2014), CBT in group/family treatment involves interactions between the therapist/s and several patients experiencing similar problems. In such sessions, therapist/s work with two or more patients depending on the issue being addressed, the treatment, and the therapist/s. Typically, CBT in family/group settings provides an opportunity for several patients to interact with the therapist to eradicate negative thoughts, modify their behaviour and adopt coping mechanisms (Sotching, 2014). Unlike in individual therapy, where the therapist focuses on an individual patient, CBT in group contexts focuses on the whole group and every patient individually. In this light, CBT in group settings has several advantages. Firstly, the patients interact and share their experiences since they face similar issues. In this way, team members support and encourage one another, thereby increasing the efficacy of the therapy (Thimm & Antonsen, 2014). From this perspective, CBT in group therapy has proven effective in treating various psychological disorders, including psychosis, anxiety disorders, and depression.

Again, CBT in group settings is most effective compared to individual contexts. Besides patients, CBT in group settings involves family members modifying the patient’s thoughts and behaviours. In this case, the family members assist and support the patient because they are physically available and psychologically linked to the situation more than the therapists. For instance, Landa et al. (2016) pointed out that CBT in family settings helped treat youth psychosis and other mental illnesses because family members can learn CBT skills, communicate and share experiences with the patients, show empathy, boost the patient’s confidence and ability to cope with adverse situations and create a healthy environment suitable for recovery (Landa et al., 2016).

Despite its benefits, PMHNPs applying CBT in group contexts face several challenges. Firstly, since group therapy deals with more than one patient, the therapist/s might struggle to reorganize and redefine each patient’s thoughts and behaviour (Sotching, 2014). Again, PMHNPs may face difficulties in scheduling group sessions since every patient may attend irregularly (Neufeld et al., 2020). Moreover, most patients undergoing CBT in group settings often drop out of the program when they lose hope or feel that the therapy is not fulfilling their needs (Sochting, 2014). Lastly, PMHPs using CBT in group settings struggle with ethical issues, mostly privacy and confidentiality among patients. Regardless of the therapeutic alliance, some patients can disclose sensitive information, adversely affecting the treatment process (Ringle et al., 2015).

The sources used in the discussion above are scholarly for various reasons. Firstly, they are written by renowned personalities in medicine and psychiatry, contain valid and accurate information, are available on credible research resources, and are published by academic publishers. Besides, they are produced for a specific audience of practising clinicians, and their findings and conclusions are drawn from critical research processes.

Reference

David, D., Cristea, I., & Hofmann, S. G. (2018). Why cognitive behavioural therapy is the current gold standard of psychotherapy. Frontiers in psychiatry, 9, 4.

Landa, Y., Mueser, K. T., Wyka, K. E., Shreck, E., Jespersen, R., Jacobs, M. A., Griffin, K. W., van der Gaag, M., Reyna, V. F., Beck, A. T., Silbersweig, D. A., & Walkup, J. T. (2016). Development of a group and family-based cognitive behavioural therapy program for youth at risk for psychosis. Early intervention in psychiatry, 10(6), 511–521. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.12204

Neufeld, C. B., Palma, P. C., Caetano, K. A., Brust-Renck, P. G., Curtiss, J., & Hofmann, S. G. (2020). A randomized clinical trial of group and individual cognitive-behavioral therapy approaches for social anxiety disorder. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 20(1), 29-37.

Ringle, V. A., Read, K. L., Edmunds, J. M., Brodman, D. M., Kendall, P. C., Barg, F., & Beidas, R. S. (2015). Barriers to and Facilitators in the Implementation of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Youth Anxiety in the Community. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), 66(9), 938–945.

Söchting, Ingrid. (2014). Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy: Challenges and Opportunities. Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy: Challenges and Opportunities. 1-368. 10.1002/9781118510261.