Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (Essay Sample)

Name Institution Course Date Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) refers to a method of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps patients to deal with their thoughts and their feelings by understanding why those thoughts and feelings are as they are and how they are influencing their actions and behaviors. It is a mixture of the behavioral and cognitive aspects and principles in the therapeutic process. This process has been used extensively to ensure that results are achieved quickly and cheaply (Tolin 710-713). Health specialists have used this technique to treat several of conditions including mood, personality, substance abuse, eating disorders, anxiety, and even psychotic disorders. Cognitive The cognitive aspect involves working with the patient ensures patients overcome difficulties through the identification of the thinking system and thereafter changing the mindset and the thinking system, together with the behavior and emotional responses. In this aspect, the patient will be involved in a process of ensuring that he is imparted with the skills for the modification of the belief system and the distorted thinking system (Gary 119-121). Therefore, there is a huge collaboration between the patient and the therapist in this entire process (Beck 71). In this scenario, it is clear how Mr. G sees himself as a failure in life. More is seen in the development of the treatment process. Behavioral As the name suggests, the therapy is heavily based upon or focuses mainly on the behaviors of individuals and looks at the causes to these behaviors. Therefore, a therapist will be looking to find out why a person has adopted behavior, and what the role of the environment is when it comes to behavior (Beck 69). Therefore, the combination of both the cognitive and the behavioral provides a holistic aspect in looking at various scenarios in a human being. It is used to treat among many things, depression and is therefore, a tactic that can be used in this scenario with Mr. G. It deals with the present issues as they are. As such, it does not need to go into the past of who an individual is, and causes of the person’s present situation. It is very helpful as it helps in dissolving a big issue into various parts that can be tackled in an easy manner. Since feelings, thoughts, and actions are inter-connected, one can find himself in a negative cycle that results in a trap. In addition, CBT can help you to solve such a scenario through attacking the factors that can make you feel bad (Beck 79-83; Craske 79). Treatment Plan and Procedure Name: Mr. G Identifying information: Has been diagnosed with a progressive neurological disorder. Currently not working Has a spouse of 18 years. Problem List There are depressive symptoms in the case of Mr. G in the following ways: - He feels he is a total failure in life. Most of the time, he is in a bad mood. He has thoughts about committing suicide. This is because of feeling that he is worthless due to the troubles in his marriage. Mr. G has a pessimistic view of the future. He sees no hope in it. Mr. G sees that the problems around him are his fault. He feels he is personally responsible for the troubles in his marriage. Being immobilized makes him not to be able to do work. His sexuality has been affected since he is not able to achieve an erection due to the neurological disorder. He has marital problems: His wife who has been willing to take care of her for many years is now facing challenges of her own because Mr. G is not able to maintain an erection. Hence, there is no sexual life in their marriage. Mr. G has to be confined to a wheelchair because there is the possibility that he might fall and hurt himself at any time. Therefore, he is now having a dormant lifestyle. Mr. G is always fatigued because of the debilitating disease. Diagnosis Working Hypothesis Schema: Scenarios can be created for capturing the various aspects of perception that Mr. G has for himself, and about the world. One is also able to look at the perceptions that others have of Mr. G. The following sections are able to show the various aspects of the schema that is useful for the development of the treatment plan. Self “I feel like a total failure in life” “I do not deserve to be alive” “I am no longer a good husband” “I have lost everything that used to define me” “This is all my fault” Other: “My wife does not care about my needs anymore. She is no longer supportive of what I am going through” “My wife cannot be happy as long as I will be able to satisfy her sexually.” World “Life is not supposed to be this hard for anybody” “I deserve to have an easy life, at least with my wife.” “Life is unfair and I no longer want to be associated with it anymore. Suicide will make me have an easier alternative to living.” Precipitants Because of the progressive neurological disorder, Mr. G has constantly found himself to be in low and depressive moods at all times. Activating situations Any time that Mr. G faces the task of doing any physical activity in nature, he gets to be in depressive mood. When he tries to walk, he will more likely fall down and hurt himself. This has a negative impact on him. It is also an issue when he has to be intimate with his wife. The neurological functions for successful sexual intercourse have been hampered. As a result, he is not able to sustain an erection and this courses him to be depressed. His wife is also depressed as well in such a case. The marital problems in his life also continue to harm his sense of self worth. The time that he would spend his time with his wife is no longer there. Hence, he is left with his own thoughts and considers suicide in these moments. Summary of Working Hypothesis Mr. G’s depressive mood and general emotional instability is a result of the neurological disorder that he is facing. He seems to have had a very active life, both socially and economically and this has been cut short by the disease. The other factor is the fact that this disease is not only affecting him, but those closest to him. He is now not able to maintain a consistent sexual life, which he has described to be “non-existent.” His wife of 18 years has been able to support him for a while, but the mundane routine life has taken a toll on her too. She sees the entire process as a burden. This situation has only served to make Mr. G see himself as a total failure in life. He had come to rely so much on his wife for support and the push to live his life, but the withdrawal of the wife’s efforts and dedication in the relation have made Mr. G to question the meaning of his very existence. He no longer sees himself as worth living. He sees himself as a total failure, one who deserves to die so that he can alleviate his own suffering, and the harm that it is causing others as well. This is driven also by the fact that he does not think that life should be this hard for anyone. Strengths and Assets Mr. G has a unique state of strengths such as the fact his wife of 18 years has not yet left her, Although she is having a difficult time too, she has somehow managed to stay put in the marriage, a testimony of the fact that she still cares for her. Her situation has to be understood; that she also did not expect this to happen in her life. The fact that he is also alive is another asset that he should consider worth having. Life is a gift, and he has to take it as it comes. Treatment Plan Goals (measures): The goals of the treatment plan are as follows: - To reduce the level of depression that Mr. G experiences. To change his outlook to life in general. He has to be optimistic about the future. To make him see that he is worth much more than what he thinks of his life now. To reduce the marital problems that he is having with his wife. Modality: The mode of treatment will involve individual cognitive behavioral therapy with Mr. G. These sessions will be done on a weekly basis. It will also be important that the wife be able to attend some of the meetings. This is because; she holds an important part in creating a better environment for her husband. She is pivotal in Mr. G’s life as he views his success in life based on how he relates with his wife now. Interventions: The client will be counseled on the importance of his continued visitation with the doctor; it is necessary for him or her not to lose this trait. There are many treatment options for neurological disorders, and therefore, one has to see that there can be an option for a cure in the future, or a managed way for things to be handled. The issue of fatigue has to be considered and that he has to make a number of trips to a physiotherapy exercise to ensure that his legs entirely fatigued and that the susceptibility to falling will reduce and will be managed. Physiotherapy will be used to ensure that he will take charge of a little bit of his process and not feel that he is out of control on what is happening It is also essential to include a reward system in such a scenario. For example, it is highly likely that involvement in physiotherapeutic exercises will help a lot in ensuring the general well-being of Mr. G. Therefore, working towards this should be done with a goal in mind and the possibility of a reward. Motivation is a tool that should be used wisely so that Mr. G does not see it as manipulation. The application of the Humanistic theory to make him see that he is worth living is critical in the intervention phase. Therefore, some of the values that are pursued in this endeavor include self-actualization, creativity, and individuality. This can very well echo into the life story of Mr. G who having faced all these problems in his life, he must be given the necessary tools to ensure that he is able to look at himself holistically. He should not be placed in a position where he looks down on hims...