Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Basic Tenets of the Approach       

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a theoretical approach that has been researched very thoroughly by professionals and has been deemed a very useful tool for clinicians.  CBT combines facets from different beneficial approaches including but not limited to behavioral, cognitive, rational and emotional (Hanser, Mire, 2011).   CBT is considered one of the most diverse tools at the disposal of mental health professionals and can be used with many populations including those seen by forensic psychologists.  CBT accomplishes its goals by attending to an individual’s psychological and emotional stressors that have a significant impact on behavior (Hanser, 2011).  

Curative Factors of this Approach

CBT works under the premise that behavior is driven by external and internal factors (Hanser, 2011).  Internal factors is the dialogue that a person has with themselves, an example would be someone telling themselves that they do not have the will power to quit smoking cigarettes or someone with low self-esteem might have inner dialogue that contributes to their feelings of worthlessness.  External factors are the messages that we receive from outside sources.  Parents are a strong influence in this scenario.  Hanser and Mire (2011) give the example of a young man arrested for domestic violence, who had received messages as a youth from his father that women are to be dominated and controlled and this is to be done by any means necessary including physical abuse.  Clients are taught to identify and evaluate the maladaptive thought patterns and ultimately change them to adaptive thoughts (Hanser, 2011).   There are three phases that are involved in CBT, phase one being the most challenging of the three.  Phase one involves the individual observing their faulty thinking patterns that lead to their maladaptive behavior, this can be perplexing because it involves the client challenging their former thought patterns that have been in place for most (if not all) their lives (Hanser, 2011).  The client may have thought patterns that have been put in place by a caregiver that they highly regard and to hear that the caregiver was wrong is difficult to hear and even more difficult to accept.  Phase two involves recreating their internal dialogue and switching it to a more adaptive pattern and less likely to lead to maladaptive behavior (Hanser, 2011).  This phase is important because you are literally restructuring their thought patterns to be more adaptive and less likely to lead to conflictive behavior.  In phase three the counselor teaches the client new skills that involves avoiding stimuli that has led to problems in the past (Hanser, 2011).             

Effectiveness with the Forensic Population            

CBT is a very effective tool to use with offender populations.  Studies have shown CBT to work with sex offenders, violent offenders as well as persistent offenders (Hanser, 2011).  Offenders are taught to identify, evaluate and change self-defeating or irrational thoughts that negatively influence behavior (Hanser, 2011).  Offenders are more likely to have these thought patterns in place and are more likely to act negatively because of them (Hanser, 2011).  CBT can be helpful in the offender realizing that their thought patterns have had negative consequences on their lives and thus by changing them to positive thought patterns can have a different effect that have a better outcome for them.  This approach takes time however, because a therapeutic relationship needs to be established between the counselor and client, trust needs to be established because the counselor will be challenging thought patterns that have been in place many years.   

Rationale for Choosing this Approach

Cognitive Behavior Therapy is an effective approach that can help a person literally change their lives.  When used with the offender population it can help cut recidivism rates as well as prison violence.  Teaching a person to recognize their negative thought patterns can help them with more than just violent tendencies; it can help in all areas of life.  Teaching a person to take a critical look at themself will trickle down to their children and in turn has the possibility to heal a generation of maladaptive behavior such as intimate partner violence.  This technique teaches the new skills needed to handle every day stressors, which can help a newly released individuals deal with their new life as an ex-offender, which we all know carries a heavy stigma in modern day society.

References

Hanser R. D., Mire S. M., (2011) Correctional Counseling. Pearson Education Inc., Hoboken New Jersey