Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression
Mental health professionals who practice CBT receive special training and follow a manual in their own practice. Although actual sessions may vary, they typically follow this outline:
A typical session lasts 50 minutes to an hour.
Some other types of therapy are open ended in that there is no clear end date established. With CBT, the goal is to terminate therapy at a certain point, usually after 14 to 16 weeks.
It takes about eight weeks for the patient to become competent at the skills that are being taught in therapy and to reasonably understand the model. While this is going on, the patient usually experiences a significant reduction of symptoms. Between eight and 12 weeks patients often experience a remission of symptoms. During the remaining time, they continue to practice the skills learned and to address issues related to ending the sessions.
More severe cases of depression may take longer to resolve. For most patients, though, 14 to 16 weeks with occasional sessions during the first year to reinforce the new skills is adequate. "Booster" sessions are sometimes recommended to help reduce the risk for relapse and provide "refreshers" for making use of core CBT skills.
In this article
- How Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Differ From Other Depression Treatments?
- Who Can Benefit From CBT?
- What Is Cognitive Restructuring?
- What Is Behavioral Activation?
- Is There a Standard Procedure for Therapy Sessions?
- What Does It Mean to Say That Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Is Time-Limited?
Is There a Standard Procedure for Therapy Sessions?
Mental health professionals who practice CBT receive special training and follow a manual in their own practice. Although actual sessions may vary, they typically follow this outline:
- The session begins with a check on the patient's mood and symptoms.
- Together, the patient and therapist set an agenda for the meeting.
- Once the agenda is set, they revisit the previous session so they can bridge to the new one.
- The therapist and patient review the homework assignment and discuss problems and successes.
- Next they turn to the issues on the agenda, which may or may not all get addressed.
- New homework is set.
- The session ends with the therapist summarizing the session and getting feedback from the patient.
A typical session lasts 50 minutes to an hour.
What Does It Mean to Say That Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Is Time-Limited?
Some other types of therapy are open ended in that there is no clear end date established. With CBT, the goal is to terminate therapy at a certain point, usually after 14 to 16 weeks.
It takes about eight weeks for the patient to become competent at the skills that are being taught in therapy and to reasonably understand the model. While this is going on, the patient usually experiences a significant reduction of symptoms. Between eight and 12 weeks patients often experience a remission of symptoms. During the remaining time, they continue to practice the skills learned and to address issues related to ending the sessions.
More severe cases of depression may take longer to resolve. For most patients, though, 14 to 16 weeks with occasional sessions during the first year to reinforce the new skills is adequate. "Booster" sessions are sometimes recommended to help reduce the risk for relapse and provide "refreshers" for making use of core CBT skills.
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