What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Couples (CBCT)?

You might have heard of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), it is one of the most commonly used and effective therapy models. In simple words, CBT is all about replacing negative thoughts and behaviors with positive ones.

It is really effective for bringing positive changes in thoughts, behaviors, or feelings. While many psychologists use this therapy as individual therapy, you might be surprised that it can also be used effectively for couples as well. 

What is Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy?

Prior, CBT was applied for individual therapy sessions, but now it can also be applied for couples to help them recognize negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. Cognitive behavioral couples therapy (CBCT) is a more advanced version of couples therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy as it also provides a step forward to living in a marriage effectively with a more realistic and positive perspective.

In this way, a couple can use the techniques to reshape the challenging thought patterns that cause distress in their marriage or relationships. Moreover, it also helps in improving vulnerability, communication, and relationship issues that cause problematic behaviors. 

What are the Goals of CBCT? 

The major goal of CBCT is to help couples enhance their relationship by understanding difficulties and identifying the challenging behaviors that are causing distress. Below are some other common goals of cognitive behavioral couples therapy: 

• EmotionalPromoting constructive problem-solving
• Improving empathetic expression and listening skills
• Avoiding criticism or negative interactions
• Increasing the frequency of positive behaviors and reducing aversive behaviors
• Developing problem-solving and communication strategies
• Addressing emotions contributing to dissatisfaction and conflicts
• Increasing focus on acceptance strategies

How CBCT Works During Marriage Counselling?

Here’s how a CBCT therapist works while counseling marriage or relationship issues: 

1. Identifies and handles triggers

According to the couple’s therapist, most of the problems in a marriage are developed due to insecurities, past trauma, or old childhood wounds that make the relationship more challenging.

Herein, a therapist tries to identify situations that trigger problems and help the couple change their perspective towards calmer and more helpful conversations. 

2. Challenges negative thoughts or behaviors

Challenging negative thoughts and behaviors is one of the common goals of CBT. During marriage counseling, a therapist tries to find flawed, negative, or distressing behaviors to replace them with positive ones. 

3. Recognizes core beliefs  

Here’s another commonly used technique of CBT wherein the therapist talks about our deep-seated beliefs and explains how they affect our present. Moreover, the therapist also tries to transform core beliefs to improve the relationship. 

4. Set achievable goals for the couple

After awareness sessions, the therapist tries to set small and achievable goals for the couples so that they can feel more calm, connected, and emotionally balanced. 

Common Techniques Used in Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy

Below are the commonly used intervention techniques of CBCT: 

• Acceptance and Tolerance of Differences: In order to develop new healthy behaviors in a marriage, a therapist develops an empathetic understanding of both sides to work on their hardships, acceptance, and tolerance together. 

• Cognitive Restructuring: Cognitive restructuring means identifying and confronting unrealistic attribution, assumptions, expectations, and standards. Basically, it helps couples identify and evaluate aptness. 

• Communication Training: Communication training is one of the major features of CBCT as it helps couples express and listen effectively without attacking or criticizing each other. This technique is achieved in a very effective manner, as the therapist decides the roles, such as who will speak or who will listen to address overwhelming behaviors. 

• Problem and Conflict Resolution: This is one of the most effective strategies of CBCT as it allows couples to understand the problem and find a better resolution. This technique is more based on a brainstorming process. 

How does Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy benefit couples? 

Here are some quick and effective benefits you can get out of Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy: 

• Removes distress from the relationship
• Improves overall relationship
• Works on conflicts and violence
• Effectively works on infidelity matters
• Resolves infertility-related issues
• Works on childhood trauma or inner childhood wounds
• Resolves individual problems
• Provides solutions based on resolutions

How to Find a CBCT Therapist Through Online Platforms?

If you and your partner are looking for CBCT through online platforms, let me make your search easy and provide you with the best and most effective online platforms that provide cognitive behavioral couples therapy with great plans. Refer to the below-mentioned links to find CBCT Therapists: 

Summary of Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy

Cognitive behavioral couples therapy (CBCT) helps in identifying flaws, removing them, and taking your marriage or relationship in a healthier positive direction. The major goal of CBCT is to help couples enhance their relationship by understanding difficulties and identifying the challenging behaviors that are causing distress.

According to the studies and reviews I have read so far, CBCT is one of the effective couples therapy options to improve your relationship with your partner especially when you want to work on conflicts, communication, and problem-solving strategies. 

I hope this blog helps you understand what cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is for couples and how couples therapists use CBT. Comment down and share your views or you can also write us at https://www.calmsage.com/contact-us/

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Thanks for reading!