Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Comparing Group, Family, and Individual Settings Essay

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Comparing Group, Family, and Individual Settings Essay

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Comparing Group, Family, and Individual Settings Essay

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of short-term talk therapy, which combines cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy. It focuses on an individual’s current problems and identifying solutions to solve them (das Nair, 2018). CBT has an assumption that a person’s thought patterns affect their emotions, which, in turn, influence their behaviors. It explains how negative thoughts result in unconstructive feelings and actions. However, if individuals modify their thoughts positively, they can lead to more optimistic feelings and constructive behaviors (das Nair, 2018). The purpose of this paper is to compare the application of CBT in group settings versus family or individual settings and discuss challenges that PMHNPs might face when employing CBT in one of these settings.

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Use of CBT in Groups versus Family/Individual Settings

CBT in both group and family /individual settings is used to manage clients with similar mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, depression, and addictions. In both settings, the clients need to commit to therapy and take the initiative. Therapy in these settings can only be effective if the clients actively engage in the therapy and strive to alleviate their problems between psychotherapy sessions (das Nair, 2018). Besides, CBT in the two settings starts with the clients explaining their current problems and stating their expectations from psychotherapy, which forms the foundation for discussing therapy goals and plans of treatment (Karsberg et al., 2021). Furthermore, the counselor uses similar counseling techniques in the group and family /individual settings, including relaxation exercises, stress relief techniques, and problem-solving techniques. A study by Neufeld et al. (2020) comparing group and individual CBT in the management of Social anxiety disorder showed that both involve restructuring individuals’ negative and dysfunctional cognitions. Moreover, they were both highly effective in promoting great reductions in social anxiety.

Group therapy differs from individual therapy since the former consists of two or more individuals while the latter consists of one individual. Group therapy comprises various mental health conditions, whereby the therapist manages at least two clients with varying conditions in the same session (Karsberg et al., 2021). Individual therapy is run by one therapist, while group therapy can be run by more than one therapist, depending on the size of the group. Since group therapy has several mental disorders, it has a narrower context than individual therapy, which has a broad context and usually diversifies to deeper topics (Karsberg et al., 2021). Neufeld et al. (2020) found that group CBT had higher social costs than individual CBT.

Challenges PMHNPs Might Encounter When Using CBT In One Of These Settings

Confidentiality is a major challenge that the PMHNP might face when using CBT in the group setting. Clients in group therapy might fail to uphold confidentiality by discussing another client’s case outside the session (Ferrito & Moore, 2017). The PMHNP can avoid this by having a conversation with the clients on the limitations of confidentiality in the initial stage of therapy (Dilgul et al., 2018). Individual/family therapy can present the challenge of rigidity and resistance from the clients. The clients may have inflexible beliefs that are rigid and challenging to change, which becomes hard to implement CBT successfully (Ferrito & Moore, 2017). Besides, the clients may lack the intrinsic motivation to participate in therapy and have a high resistance to change.

Conclusion

CBT mostly focuses on identifying and modifying a person’s current distressing thoughts and behavioral patterns. It is used to treat similar mental conditions in group and family/individual CBT. However, it is only effective if the clients actively participate in the therapy and strive to alleviate their problems individually. Similar counseling techniques are also used in both settings. Nevertheless, group therapy has higher social costs. The PMHNP might encounter issues of confidentiality, rigidity, and resistance when using CBT.

References

das Nair, R. (2018). Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy: A protocol for an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025761

Dilgul, M., McNamee, P., Orfanos, S., Carr, C. E., & Priebe, S. (2018). Why do psychiatric patients attend or not attend treatment groups in the community: a qualitative study. PloS one, 13(12), e0208448. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208448

Ferrito, M., & Moore, E. (2017). An exploratory study on the issues and challenges clinicians encounter in the application of cognitive behavioural therapy with mentally disordered offender patients. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 10, E19. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1754470X17000150

Karsberg, S. H., Pedersen, M. U., Hesse, M., Thylstrup, B., & Pedersen, M. M. (2021). Group versus individual treatment for substance use disorders: a study protocol for the COMDAT trial. BMC public health, 21(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10271-4

Neufeld, C. B., Palma, P. C., Caetano, K., Brust-Renck, P. G., Curtiss, J., & Hofmann, S. G. (2020). A randomized clinical trial of group and individual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy approaches for Social Anxiety Disorder. International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP, 20(1), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2019.11.004

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Discussion: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Comparing Group, Family, and Individual Settings

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There are significant differences in the applications of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for families and individuals. The same is true for CBT in group settings and CBT in family settings. In your role, it is essential to understand these differences to appropriately apply this therapeutic approach across multiple settings. For this Discussion, as you compare the use of CBT in individual, group, and family settings, consider challenges of using this approach with groups you may lead, as well as strategies for overcoming those challenges.

To prepare:

Review the videos in this week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights provided on CBT in various settings.
By Day 3
Post an explanation of how the use of CBT in groups compares to its use in family or individual settings. Explain at least two challenges PMHNPs might encounter when using CBT in one of these settings. Support your response with specific examples from this week’s media and at least three peer-reviewed, evidence-based sources. Explain why each of your supporting sources is considered scholarly and attach the PDFs of your sources