What is CBT?


CBT is a psychological treatment that has been proven to work in scientific research. CBT helps people understand the relationship between their thoughts, behaviour, physiology, and emotions.

As any change in your thoughts, physiology, or behaviour can impact how you feel, Dr. Miki will teach you tools so that you can take better control of your life. The more tools you learn, the better equipped you are to deal with every day challenges.

Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of CBT for the following:

Psychological presentations

  • Depression
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  • Panic Attacks
  • Social Anxiety
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Adult ADHD
  • Schizophrenia
  • Eating Disorders
  • Chronic Pain

Neurological presentations

  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Why is CBT so effective?

  1. CBT empowers clients to become their own therapist by teaching them tools to reduce and manage their distress.
  2. CBT is evidence based. CBT is grounded in science and it is the most extensively researched form of therapy (see below).
  3. CBT is a collaborative process. The therapeutic relationship is similar to that of a student/teacher or athlete/coach.
  4. CBT is goal oriented. This ensures that therapy is focused and efficient. The therapist and client works together to set SMART (small, manageable, achievable, realistic, time limited) goals.
  5. CBT requires the client to practice exercises outside of the therapy session. This allows the client to learn for themselves which tools work best for them in different situations.
  6. Since clients learn (i) tools and (ii) how incorporate them in their life, CBT is more effective than medication in terms of relapse prevention [5].
  7. CBT is time limited. Most clients can achieve significant results after 10 to 20 sessions.

Due to the scientific evidence, CBT is endorsed by the following organizations:

What does a typical treatment of CBT look like?

The length of treatment depends on multiple factors including your budget, symptom severity, and duration. However, a typical treatment plan for most people may look like the following:

Session 1-2: Introduction, Diagnostic Assessment, and Treatment Plan
Sessions 3-5: Learning to apply behavioural tools
Sessions 6-12: Learning to apply thinking/cognitive tools
Sessions 13-17: Addressing underlying issues that lead to maladaptive behaviours/thoughts
Sessions 18-19: Putting it all together
Session 20: Developing a relapse prevention plan

Patients are typically seen weekly until the later stages of therapy when sessions are spaced apart to give the person more time to practice using the tools they find most effective.

The Science behind CBT:

To date, thousands of research studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of CBT and they have been published in medical and psychological journals. Many of these studies are scientifically controlled so that people are randomly assigned to a CBT group, Medication group, and CBT+Medication group.

Overall, the results indicate that CBT is as effective as well-administered medication and the two in combination are the most effective [6,7].

Dr. Miki is experienced in working with clients who choose to use CBT alone or in combination with medication. If you prefer both CBT and medication, Dr. Miki can work closely with your family doctor and/or psychiatrist to optimize your treatment plan.

References:

  1. World Health Organization, (2005). What are the most effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for the management of depression in specialist care?
  2. National Institute of Mental Health, (2009). Treatment of Anxiety Disorders (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders/treatment-of-anxiety-disorders.shtml).
  3. Canadian Psychological Association, (2002). The Cost-Effectiveness of psychological Interventions (http://www.cpa.ca/cpasite/userfiles/Documents/publications/Cost-Effectiveness.pdf)
  4. Canadian Psychiatric Association, (2001). Clinical Guidelines for the Treatment of Depressive disorders; (2006). Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Anxiety Disorders.
  5. Hollon et al., (2006). Enduring effects for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in the treatment of Depression and Anxiety. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 285-315.
  6. Butler et al., (2006). The empirical status of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A review of Meta-Analyses. Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 17-31.
  7. Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addictions, Simon Fraser University, (2007). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Core Information.

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