Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Group Versus Family Settings

Post an explanation of how the use of CBT in groups compares to its use in family settings. Provide specific examples from your own practicum experiences. Then, explain at least two challenges counselors might encounter when using CBT in the group setting. Support your response with specific examples from this week’s media. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Group Versus Family Settings

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Group Settings Versus Family Settings

An explanation of how the use of CBT in groups compares to its use in family settings

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) application in groups and family settings has some similarities and fundamental differences. The application in the two settings is similar as CBT is applied in all cases to alter unhealthy behaviors and thoughts. This occurs by focusing on learning coping strategies that are then applied to improve the clients’ wellbeing. Still, there are three notable differences when applying CBT to the two settings. The first difference is that CBT application in the group setting is intended to improve the clients’ emotional wellbeing as they learn healthy coping skills that are regularly reviewed and adapted for each client’s needs. CBT application in the family setting is intended to improve the interactions and communication between the family members. The second difference is that CBT is applied in group settings in sessions that could be less than or exceed one hour. The clients can attend one or two sessions every week. In the family setting, CBT is applied in sessions running for approximately one hour with only one session planned for every week. The third difference is that CBT sessions for the group setting do not exceed four months. In family settings, the therapy duration can exceed four months (Simpson & Moriarty, 2014). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Group Versus Family Settings

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Explain at least two challenges counselors might encounter when using CBT in the group setting.

Counselors using CBT in the group setting could encounter two challenges. The first challenge is confidentiality concerns. Within the group setting, only the therapist has a professional and ethical responsibility to keep all disclosures confidential. The same cannot be said for all the other group members who do not have any responsibility to keep any information presented to them confidential. The second challenge is managing conflicting personalities. It is not uncommon for the group members to have some conflicts as the group is first formed, and this creates a challenge if the conflict is difficult to resolve. This is especially the case if the conflict threatens to break up the whole group in which case incorrectly resolving the conflict or failing to resolve the conflict could cause the group to break up (Sochting, 2015).

References

Simpson, J., & Moriarty, G. L. (2014). Multimodal Treatment of Acute Psychiatric Illness: A Guide for Hospital Diversion. Columbia University Press.

Sochting, I. (2015). Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy: Challenges and Opportunities. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Group Versus Family Settings