Mental health is one of the most crucial building blocks of a person’s overall well-being. Different issues might, however, disturb your mental health in one way or another. Most people choose to ignore these issues and only act when it is too late.
To alleviate this sad eventuality, routine visits to a psychologist are necessary. The visits are vital for detecting mental health disorders early and intervening appropriately. There are different treatment modalities a psychologist in Bellfield will use to treat mental health conditions.
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy as it known at times, is one of the most common and effective treatments used. This is offered for both in and outpatients and involves a discussion with the psychologist to help you process and learn your feelings and behaviour.
With the understanding and closure you stand to achieve, you are better placed to overcome your condition. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a common psychotherapy technique, which involves the replacement of self-destructive thoughts with constructive and realistic behaviour and thoughts.
The following are the techniques used in CBT:
Cognitive Rehearsal
Here, you will be asked to recall an unpleasant event from your past. You and the therapist will then work toward a solution for the problem then you will replace the problem with positive thoughts gradually through rehearsal. The positive thoughts will make an appropriate change to your thought process and hence mental health.
Validity Testing
Some of the fears and issues that lead to mental health conditions are unfounded. In validity testing, the therapist will test a patient’s thoughts and ideologies and allow them to defend them. The psychologist will then expose the faulty nature of the patient’s views and thus enable them to realise the invalidity of their beliefs.
Modelling
In this CBT technique, the psychologist takes up a role-playing position. The psychologist will create a problematic situation and then teach the patient how they should respond appropriately in them. In so doing, the patient uses the therapist as the model to get a reprieve from their behavioural and mental problems.
Assertive Conditioning
Here, a patient’s maladaptive behaviour is reduced through dissuasion. You will be exposed to various unpleasant stimuli while you are engaged in multiple maladaptive behaviour that affect your mental health. This way, you will slowly learn to associate the unpleasant stimuli with a maladaptive behaviour and thus gradually become averse to it.
Systematic Positive Reinforcement
This is almost an exact opposite of the assertive conditioning technique. In systematic positive reinforcement, you are rewarded with positive reinforcement for specific desired behaviour. The rewards will thus reinforce the essence of the positive behaviour in your mind, and therefore you will overcome negative behaviour.
The above CBT techniques have proven effective for the treatment of various conditions in adults and children. The structured model of the methods makes CBT one of the most effective psychotherapy techniques.
CBT is a time-bound treatment form, and you will attend a number of sessions with your psychologist. The key to the efficiency of your therapy primarily lies in your commitment to these sessions.
