Strength and Limitations of Cbt

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Introduction In this essay the author will be discussing a cognitive behavioural approach (CBT) for the treatment of substance abuse. Substance abuse is a worldwide concern and Ireland is no different, as we can see from this report by the Irish Health Research Board (2011) showing that over half of all cases treated for substance misuse in Ireland between 2005 and 2010 was for alcohol as their main problem substance. Also Byrne (2010) estimated that the total cost of alcohol misuse to the public health system here in Ireland was €1.2BN. F. Rotgers, D. Keller, & J. Morgenstern (1996). CBT in the treatment of substance abuse stems from three theorists; Aaron Beck cognitive theory, Albert Ellis behavioural theory and Albert Bandura social learning theory. Bandura’s social learning theory explains human behaviour in terms of continuous give and take between their cognitive, behavioural and environmental stimuli, therefore this theory has being called the bridge between behaviourist (Ellis) and cognitive (Becks) theories www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-bandura. All three theories state individual’s behaviours are controlled by their thoughts and feelings. Consequently most of our maladaptive behaviours are learned and therefore can be unlearned. Main Body CBT was pioneered by Dr A Beck in the 1960s. He was a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania where he was researching the psychoanalytic concepts of depression. After discovering his research did not validate the psychoanalytic concepts of depression he began to develop his own theory. From his research he concluded that the driving forces of mental dysfunction are habitual, unrealistic, and self-defeating thoughts. He called them our “automatic thoughts,” and stated that they stem from our belief system and act as a go-between an event and the person’s behaviour or response to
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