CBT: A Fundamental Criticism Of Brandon

6) A fundamental criticism of CBT –
The largest criticism of my chosen approach is in relation to the probable exploration of Brandon’s past trauma. In spite of it being a long-standing myth that CBT avoids a client’s past entirely and puts an uncompromising focus on the here-and-now, there is often some truth to a myth. It is not within this approach’s strong suit to adequately accommodate a client who is for the first time divulging and exploring a trauma. His could be related to many problems in Brandon’s life that he was even unaware of. In this scenario, a client may want the time to talk through the trauma and the resulting consequences, without the active participation of the counsellor or worksheets. Sexual-abuse victims are predominantly

It would be advised that a counsellor takes thoughtful care in establishing a treatment plan, based on the severity of the trauma. This is caused by developmental and attachment issues that may surface and need attention before treatment continues. Albeit, the research continues to grow in relation to CBT’s effectiveness regarding the treatment of trauma, and is still a growing and adapting area of study (Courtois, 2008). The counsellor should be prepared to offer a longer-term set of sessions. They should be experienced enough and up-to-date in CBT techniques such as exposure therapy and trauma to address Brandon’s issues. These stipulations are to avoid harm to the client and to abide the IACP’s ethical guidelines of practice (IACP, Principle

As much as I would prefer to present a scene for him to imagine, this is dependent on how much he is willing to divulge in the listing of anxiety-inducing events/thought processes and during the prolonged assessment period. If this is an unavailable option, I will ask Brandon to offer his own scene and narrative to which I will respond appropriately to over-looked details that are deemed important. This form of therapy has been extensively researched since the 1990’s for those suffering from PTSD and yields meaningful results (Foa, 1991). Giving Brandon a sense of control has been highlighted in my approach on many occasions, this once again gives him the opportunity to excerpt control over his memories and eventually produce a more objective and less frightening interpretation to the events that unfolded. These initial sessions of exposure therapy will take up half of each session (30 minutes), and work in conjunction with traditional CBT techniques during the second half of the session (30