Understanding Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in Sydney

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a relatively short term therapy for the treatment of many types of emotional problems and disorders. It helps individuals to identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviours and learn more helpful skills and ways of addressing issues through addressing the core thoughts underlying these issues. This type of therapy has been researched extensively and has excellent scientific validity. In Sydney and in fact across Australia, another newer therapy is making huge headways in the field of psychology. This therapy is called ACT therapy, and stands for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It gets its name from one of its core underpinnings: accept what is out of your personal control, and commit to action that improves and enriches your life. The aim of ACT is to maximise human potential for a rich, full and meaningful life. It teaches patients psychological skills to deal with painful thoughts and feelings in such a way that they less impact and influence. It relies heavily upon mindfulness skills. It helps people clarify what is truly important and meaningful and then use that knowledge to guide, inspire and motivate change in one’s life. Psychologists Sydney are tending to use ACT therapy for patients who have difficulties with the processes behind CBT and struggle to either identify their unhelpful thought processes or dispute these thoughts effectively. Many patients get so stuck up in their thoughts they stop living their lives. ACT therapy differs in that rather than analysing thought it simply lets the thoughts be. That is, it has us accept and acknowledge our thoughts, but not ‘buy into them’ or necessarily believe them to be true.