Types of cognitive therapy: what are they and what are their characteristics

The way we think, in which we process the information from our environment and turn it into our own mental schemes, conditions us when it comes to feeling and acting. Such is the weight of our thoughts that the generation of distorted ideas can lead to some type of psychological condition such as anxiety or depression.

This fact was what prompted the creation of the different types of cognitive therapies. Thanks to them, the patient can learn effective skills and strategies that help him to modify the way he thinks and, therefore, in which he feels and behaves.

• Related article: "Types of psychological therapies"

What is cognitive therapy?

The term "cognitive" refers to the person's thought processes, including includes attention, learning, planning, judgment and decision making. Therefore, cognitive therapy is a type of psychological therapy that considers that some mental and emotional disorders or conditions are closely linked to the processes cognitive

This means that, according to the theories that frame the different types of cognitive therapies, people suffer and develop psychological conditions due to the way in which they interpret the environment and the events that happen to them and not due to the nature of these in themselves themselves.

Therefore, the mission of psychological intervention through cognitive therapy is that the patient is able to find flexible, functional and adaptive interpretations of life events that you experience.

Other interpretations of cognitive therapy describe it as the practical implementation of cognitive psychology, which supports a psychological conception in relation to the different mental processes and from a point of view intrapsychic. In other words, it is understood that there are a series of different elements within the mind of each person that makes it different from the others.

Main types of cognitive therapy

The choice of one type of cognitive therapy, to the detriment of another, is usually subject to the recognition of the different needs of the patient. The different types of cognitive therapy are only intervention techniques, rather make up a whole network of applied science which can take different forms depending on the objectives to be achieved.

Throughout the history of psychology, different types of cognitive therapies have been developed. However, there are two that stand out above the rest, these are Aaron Beck's cognitive therapy, which emphasizes automatic thoughts and cognitive distortions; and Albert Ellis's rational emotional behavioral therapy, in which irrational ideas are worked on.

Both cognitive therapies encompass a whole set of therapeutic techniques and strategies, as well as a methodology that distinguishes them. But always adhering to a rigorous and scientific method.

1. Cognitive therapy by A. Beck (TC)

The Aaron Beck's cognitive therapy It is a type of psychotherapy, developed in the 60s, by the American-born psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck. This type of therapy is based on the cognitive model, which establishes that thoughts, feelings and behaviors are closely connected and that, therefore, people can overcome their difficulties and achieve their goals identifying and changing useless or incorrect thoughts.

To achieve such a modification, the patient will need to work collaboratively with the therapist to develop all kinds skills that allow you to identify distorted thoughts and beliefs and then modify them.

In the early days of Beck's cognitive therapy, Beck focused on treating depression by developing a list of mental errors or cognitive distortions that caused depressed mood. Among them were arbitrary inference, selective abstraction, excessive generalization or amplification of negative thoughts and minimization of positive ones.

However, with the advancement in the practice and research of this type of therapy, it has been observed that it can reach be highly effective in the treatment of many other psychological and mental disorders among which we find:

• Addictions
• Anxiety disorder.
• Bipolar disorder.
• Phobias
• Low self-esteem.
• Suicidal ideations.
• Schizophrenia.
• Weightloss.

Method: cognitive restructuring

The way in which the professional makes the person learn and practice these skills independently is known as cognitive restructuring.

The cognitive restructuring consists of an intervention technique in which the patient identifies and questions their irrational or maladaptive thoughts, known as cognitive distortions. The steps to carry out a cognitive restructuring include:

• Identification of troublesome thoughts.
• Identification of cognitive distortions within these thoughts.
• Questioning, through the Socratic method, of these distortions.
• Development of a rational argument for these distorted thoughts.

2. Ellis Rational-Emotional-Behavioral Therapy (TREC)

Halfway between cognitive therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy we find the Ellis rational-emotional-behavioral therapy. This was exposed for the first time in 1950 by the American psychotherapist and psychologist Albert Ellis, who was inspired by the teachings of different Greek, Roman and Asian philosophers to develop this type of cognitive therapy.

Also known as rational therapy or rational emotional therapy, it consists of a direction therapy active, philosophical and empirical that focuses on the resolution of problems and emotional disturbances and conduct; and whose objective is to ensure that the patient leads a happier and more satisfactory life.

One of the fundamental premises of the TREC is that the emotional changes that people experience are not due to the circumstances that cause them, but to the way in which the points of view of these circumstances are constructed through the use of language, beliefs and meanings.

In CRT, the patient learns and begins to apply this premise through the A-B-C-D-E-F model of disturbance and psychological change. The A-B-C model holds that it is not adversity (A) that causes the emotional consequences (C), but also the irrational thoughts that the person (B) creates in relation to adversity. By adversity you can understand both an external situation and a thought, feeling or other internal event.

Thanks to this type of therapy, the person can identify and understand illogical or erroneous interpretations and assumptions that he makes to, thus, question them (D). Finally, creating (E) healthier ways of thinking leads people to new feelings (F) and behaviors most appropriate to the circumstance (A) addressed in the therapy.

By using various methods and cognitive activities based on Socratic dialogue and debate, the patient can achieve a new way of processing information; that is to say, to think, much more favorable, constructive and emotional.

Relationship with cognitive-behavioral therapy

If we take into account its name, we can deduce that cognitive therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy have certain common aspects. Traditionally, a difference is made between both types of therapy, taking into account the level of inference and the starting theoretical framework, whether cognitive or behaviorist.

The classical cognitive current supports the idea that within the cognitive and thought processes we find an explanation for our behaviors. On the other hand, according to the behavioral approach, the motives or reasons for our behavior can only be based on the environment and not on cognitive arguments. So both have different starting points.

However, the premises of the cognitive-behavioral approach establish that there is an intimate relationship between behavior and cognition. Starting from the idea that both cognition, behavior and affect or emotion are interrelated, and that by making a change in any of the three we will also be able to modify the other two aspects of the person.