COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY (CBT)
Cognitive therapy ‘aims explicitly to “re-energizes” the reality testing system’. Cognitive therapy teaches clients adaptive meta-cognition – how to think about thinking – so that they can correct faulty cognitive processing and develop assumptions that allow them to cope. Clients are told that the goal of cognitive therapy is for them to learn and become their own therapist.
Early stages of therapy focus on symptoms removal, middle and later stages are to emphasize changing client’s pattern of thinking. As the therapy progresses, clients assume more responsibility for identifying problems, analyzing their thinking and creating suitable homework assignments. The role of therapist shifts from being fairly didactic to facilitating clients as they develop their cognitive self-help skills. The frequency of sessions decreases as clients become more proficient. Hence, CBT renders help by making the client conscious about the maladaptive thinking, feeling and behaviour.
BEHAVIOUR THERAPY (BT)
As already discussed, BT seeks to identify and help change potentially self-destructive, maladaptive or unhealthy behaviours. It functions on the rationale that all behaviors are learned and that unhealthy behaviors can be changed. The focus of treatment on current problems- the here and now and how to change them. Behavioral therapy has successfully been used to treat a large number of conditions such as depression, anxiety, panic disorders, anger issues, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobias, including social phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), substance abuse and so on.
RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY
Rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT), developed by Albert Ellis in 1955 and originally termed rational therapy, laid the foundation for what is now known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). REBT was built on the rationale that how we feel is largely influenced by how we think. This form of therapy encourages the development of rational thinking in order to facilitate healthy emotional expression, regulation and behavior.
RELAXATION THERAPY
Relaxation therapy refers to a number of techniques designed to educate or teach someone to be able to relax voluntarily. These techniques can include special breathing practices and progressive muscle relaxation exercises, which are designed to reduce physical and mental tension and enhance subjective and psychological well-being.
Muscle tension is usually associated with stress and anxiety, which are strongly associated with depression and adverse mental health. Becoming aware of the link between one’s depressive thoughts and mental and muscle tension, and learning to voluntarily let go of or release this tension, may help to reduce negative symptoms.
COUNSELLING
Counselling is a form of ‘talk therapy’ which is confidential and non-judgmental. Counselling can provide clients with the opportunity to share their views, be heard and acquire new perspectives on their situation and experiences. It helps clients to gain clarity surrounding issues in their lives, be it in the occupational, personal or social domains of functioning. Together with their counsellor, clients can identify and work towards achieving the desired outcomes and goals for counselling.
PRE-MARITAL & MARITAL COUNSELLING
Good relationships form the backbone of a healthy mind. A widely accepted notion is that those with healthier relationships tend to have fewer health problems and greater well-being, and also a lower risk of behaviours associated with anxiety and depression. Marriage is a social institution that unites two people in a mutually respectful and loving relationship. A healthy relationship is built on the premise of love, understanding, communication, commitment and individual boundaries. Premarital counseling is a type of therapy that helps couples prepare for marriage. It can help couples improve their relationships before marriage by discussing topics related to finances, value, attitudes and beliefs, affection and sex and so on. While marital counseling helps couples of all types recognize and resolve conflicts, address grievances and improve their relationships.
CAREER COUNSELLING
Career Counselling is a process that focuses on helping one understand one’s own self, as well as one’s work trends, interests, aptitude and prowess, objectively, so that one can take an informed decision about their career and education. Career Counselling helps manage a diverse range of problems such as low concentration levels to poor time management, reality-expectation comparisons to non-agreement between parents and children on which career path to choose.
