Practice Theories in Social Work
Dsicuss about the Behavioural Activation Apps for Depression.
Social work theories usually are the explanation which are supported with the evidences that are obtained via methods of science. Practice theories are the theories which help in the social work and also in the normal life of people in understanding the behaviour of human beings and analysing how they are able to cope up with the society and what they are going through (Morris, Mensink, & Stewart , 2003). The practice models define the way as to how social workers can implement these theories and help people. In this report, Leah is facing issues with her personal lifestyle and her behaviour keeps on changing day after day. She needs some type of treatment and help so that she can live a happy lifestyle. For the practice theories are discussed in this report as to how Leah can cope up with this problem.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is well known as CBT in short. This is a short term and goal oriented psychotherapy which helps in understanding the problem and its approach is practical to problem solving. The main objective of this therapy is to change the patterns of the behaviour or thinking which refers to the difficulties in an individual’s life such as sleeping difficulty or problems in relationships, drugs usage or anxieties and depression (Mor & Haran, 2009). CBT is well known as it is very effective and successful therapy which helps people for the long-term reliving from the illness. This is a short-term therapy which takes about 5 to 10 months only to cure people form the emotional problems. Clients attend one session per week and every session is for about 50 minutes (Johnsen & Friborg, 2015). The individual facing problems and the therapist both sit together in the sessions to understand the problems and invent new strategies to tackle those problems. There are a set of principles which can be applied whenever needed in this therapy.
CBT was invented from the cognitive and the behavioural techniques (Connell, 2010). It came into picture in 1980’s and it has grown a lot since then into a wide speared range of clinical conditions. Cummins proposed that clients’ response in a very effective way to CBT and that is why the application for this therapy had contributed a lot in medical science for the treatment like anxiety, panic attacks, emotional problems, schizophrenia etc. It was earlier suggested that CBT should be used in social work and other practices because it is very strong and there have been practical events when CBT has proved to be the best therapy of all other pharmacological treatments.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
It’s been suggested that the expansive use of CBT in social work and other clinical practices is because of the strength of the practical evidence of its usefulness in the treatment of a wide range of clinical disorders
There are a few principles which are used in CBT for an effective implementation of the therapy.
- This therapy is based on always evolving formulation of problems that patients face and also on individual conceptualization of every patient in terms of cognition.
- CBT needs a strong therapeutic alliance(Fenn & Byrne, 2013).
- CBT always focusses on the participation of the patients and it prefers the participation to be active and whole hearted.
- CBT gives a lot of importance to its goals and is always focusses on the problem.
- CBT is involved in the present and hence, it focusses on the present problems and issues.
- CBT is educative and it targets the patient so that he can be his own therapist for future(Beck, 2011).
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is related to the case study of Leah as it focusses on the changing patterns of Leah’s Behaviour. It was invented on the postulation that the way a person thinks is very significant for the emotions that he or she has and on the basis of those emotions, one’s behaviour changes and that is how people can evaluate the cognitive ability of desired changes and behaviour (Ehde, Dillworth, & Turner, 2014). Moreover, the belied of the individuals influence the sense a person makes out of the experiences of his life and the responses in the world they live in. Here in this case study, Leah said that she was very afraid about how her future is going to be as she did not want to stay with her husband John anymore and she did not have anywhere else to go. Yet she said that her job was satisfying her needs as well as made her happy (Huguet, Rao, McGrath, Wozney, & Wheaton, 2016). Hence, from the above concern that Leah has shared about worrying about her future was very contradictory with the information she shared about her job which was well paying and made her happy. This displays a contradictory behaviour and distorted way of thinking. Hence, with the application of the CBT, it is easily possible that Leah could evaluate her thoughts which were negative and she could then focus on the positive things in her life such as she had two kids to take care of and they were her support and she had a good paying job as well. She could have given a thought that she was no more stuck in her marriage. Instead she could take good decisions from her life. She could easily leave her husband John after realizing that it was not her destiny anymore. She could have been happy by thinking that she was no more a burden in anybody’s life and the fact that she could afford a good lifestyle without the support of her husband. CBT also emphasizes on the individual’s thinking which impacts on the way the individuals live and acts and in the end landing to the mood changes and emotions ( Freeman, 2005). Hence, CBT is applicable to Leah’s case as it inaugurates the behaviour of the person and how it generates emotions, changed behaviour and physiological reactions. Leah said that she was not a good mother and she regret that. She had always been impatient with her children. She never enjoyed the time with Alex and Dora and resented sometimes that she has children. CBT would help her out in bringing out her negative thoughts and will give her a new way of thinking. The stress that Leah was going through would have reduced a lot. CBT focus on the present as per its principal and that is why it would have helped Leah improve her present and reduce her anxieties (Luaces, Keefe, & Derubeis, 2016). In the end, it can be said that CBT would have proven good for Leah in taking her out of the depression and anxieties and would have given her the confidence to live her life happily in future.
Principles and Techniques of CBT
The techniques which are based on CBT can be linked with the case study easily. A few of them are:
The main objective of CBT is to empower people to become their own therapists by being equipped of the tools needed in changing their cognitive and behavioural patterns. Being the social worker, the best decision for Leah was to empower her and bring her out of her negative thought about herself and her low self-confidence (Ackerman, 2017). By giving a good training and sessions in CBT, it would have been possible to make Leah a better judge of her own life and empowering her to know by herself as to what is good for her and what is bad.
These types of interventions were invented for the motivation if the customers for making them confront about their feared stimulus, to reduce their anxieties and fears that they carry (Priyamvada, Kumari, Prakash, & Chaudhury, 2009). People tend to avoid their fears and situations they are in instead of completely changing them. The exposure interventions would help the people to come out of the situation they do not want to be in anymore by making them realize how strong they are and what they are capable of doing.
Social skills should be induced in people who are facing anxiety and depression as generally these people do not have any friends and they avoid communicating with normal people. Leah also has poor communication skills and she had no friends. Leah should have been encouraged to communicate with her children and office mates so that she could feel good about letting go of her fears and letting others know about it. Inculcating social skills would be another strategy.
Conclusion
This report focusses on the case study of Leah who went through a lot of bad things in her life including her husband’s abuse. When she went for help, the social worker realized that CBT i.e. cognitive behavioural therapy was good and apt in applying on her case as Leah was facing anxiety and depression issues which can be removed or reduced by the application of CBT. This report focus on the application of CBT on Leah’s case and the techniques and strategies used for the application of CBT.
References
Huguet, A., Rao, S., McGrath, P. J., Wozney, L., & Wheaton, M. (2016). A Systematic Review of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Behavioral Activation Apps for Depression. Systematic Review of CBT and BA Apps for Depression, 11(5).
Beck, J. (2011). The Basic Principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Retrieved May 12, 2018, from pro.psychcentral.com: https://pro.psychcentral.com/the-basic-principles-of-cognitive-behavior-therapy/
Ehde, D. M., Dillworth, T. M., & Turner, J. A. (2014). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Individuals With Chronic Pain. American Psychologist, 69(2), 153-166.
Fenn, K., & Byrne, M. (2013). The key principles of cognitive behavioural therapy. InnovAiT, 6(9), 579-585.
Mor, N., & Haran, D. (2009). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Depression. The Israel journal of psychiatry and related sciences, 46(4), 269-273.
Freeman, A. (2005). Encyclopedia of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Retrieved May 12, 2018, from https://simbi.kemenag.go.id/: https://simbi.kemenag.go.id/pustaka/images/materibuku/encyclopedia-of-cognitive-behavior-therapy.pdf
Johnsen, T. J., & Friborg, O. (2015). The Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as an Anti-Depressive Treatment is Falling: A Meta-Analysis. Psychological Bulletin.
Connell, C. (2010). COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY DISORDERS IN CHILDREN. RIVIER ACADEMIC JOURNAL, 6(2).
Ackerman, C. (2017). 25 CBT Techniques and Worksheets for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Retrieved May 12, 2018, from positivepsychologyprogram.com: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/cbt-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-techniques-worksheets/
Luaces, L. L., Keefe, J. R., & Derubeis, R. J. (2016). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Nature and Relation to Non-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Behavior Therapy, 47(6).
Morris, E. P., Mensink, D., & Stewart , S. H. (2003). A Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved May 12, 2018, from https://epsy.tamu.edu/: https://epsy.tamu.edu/sites/epsy.tamu.edu/files/CBGT%20manual%20for%20social%20anxiety.pdf
Priyamvada, R., Kumari, S., Prakash, J., & Chaudhury, S. (2009). Cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of social phobia. Industrial psychiatry journal, 18(1), 60-63.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
