you down with CBT? yeah you know me!

(That's probably the corniest thing I've ever written to date!)

Our articles this week hinged around cognitive and behavioral therapies, both in the fashion of CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and RE[B]T (Rational Emotive [Behavioral] Therapy). Of note, I found the Ellis article to be particularly amusing, in that the father of such a treatment seemed apologetic and provided a plethora of excuses or caveats throughout this entire article for why REBT is essentially CBT before CBT became what it is today!

In general, however, I was enthralled by the CBT articles, particularly that of the British Association for the Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies' Mapping Psychotherapy - What is CBT? This guideline presented the perfect framework for the type of treatment I would like to practice in inner-city communities where mindsets are often the largest factor keeping those citizens enslaved. Bob Marley speaks to us through song about this concept, urging residents to "emancipate yourselves from mental slavery/none but ourselves can free our minds." (Redemption Song)

The map shown explicitly in Appendix 1 on page 6 highlights the necessary methods both clients and therapists must engage in to yield results. Through our exploration of EBP/ESTs, we acknowledge that assessment allows opportunities to establish rapport, as supported by Rogerian theory, as well as time to postulate which CBT assessment would best fit our client. Formulation closely follows this assessment in order to discover the presenting problem of our client while giving us a baseline with which to measure our client's success. Intervention stems from our hypothesis and involves a trusting relationship between client and therapist, so that outside homework can be achieved by each individual in order to benefit the client seeking behavioral modification through cognitive shifts - i.e. attempting exposure or addressing a fallacious belief. Finally, evaluation measures the impact both participants in the CBT have had on the outcome of the client, and long-term effects can be measured during this stage as well.

These four stepping stones to behavior changes, as well as cognition restructuring, are key to urban youth developing a more positive attitude about the impact that they can make in this world. As Butler et al's work displays, CBT is highly effective in treating adolescent depression and anxiety disorders. If children who live in these areas are constantly exposed to negative rhetoric about their existence, it is natural to assume that they would internalize these messages. CBT works for this age population, so it is worth the effort to administer this form of treatment on such groups. It will be interesting to note whether this treatment works across racial and class lines in such strong effect sizes.

The lab I work in for my research conducts a longitudinal study on the effectiveness of a prevention program targeting the parents of children with poor behavioral outcomes. Reading these articles really leads me to believe that as the children increase in age, offering CBT directly to some of the children will allow us to compare whether this type of intervention, mixed with preventative measures, will truly minimize the risk associated with growing up in inner-city neighborhoods. If this is the case, we may be able to revolutionize the way children within these environments perceive the world around them, thereby affecting both behavior and cognition - the basis of CBT!