Pros And Cons Of Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy

Behavioral treatments for couples and family problems are based on the assumption that dysfunctional behaviors are learned and can be reduced or replaced with more constructive behaviors through new learning process (Wetchler & Hecker, 2015). This theory resonates with me because I find shaping behavior to be very interesting. I believe that as a child my mother used positive and negative reinforcement to shape my behavior. She may have not followed the theory exactly but it was the same idea. I was taught this is how you raise a child and did the same with my son. I went to school and soon learned about B.F. Skinner and how behavior is shaped and learned. B.F Skinner’s work on operant conditioning had a more extensive impact on the development of behavioral approaches to couples and family problems ( Wetchler & Hecker,2015). This theory looks at how our thoughts

I believe it to be a strength that CBFT is a theory that can be used to treat multiple issues that arise in family therapy. I am looking into using this theory in my practice and can aide in shaping the unwanted behaviors of the clients. I would rather utilize a theory that is more versatile and that I am familiar with.

One limitation is that it has been somewhat underutilized by family therapist (Dattillo, 2001). There are many myths about CBFT and it is not used much in family therapy. This theory can be effective in changing the thoughts and behaviors of individuals. Although research has been complete on the effectiveness of CBFT, there are individuals who may still doubt it. I believe that as a therapist it is important to do the research and pick the theory that will assist the individual with presenting