This is how CBT works

Then, now and the future

In CBT the main focus is on the present and the future. Insight about and understanding of one's history is often important, but to achieve a concrete change in your life you'll need to work actively with your thoughts, emotions and behaviors you experience in the present.

What prevents the problems from disappearing, or maybe even increasing them, can also be something else than what once made them appear. This is why both of these aspects are part of the therapy. Much effort is put into developing new ways of managing and relating to the problems so that they disappear, are reduced or no longer is a major obstacle in your life.

Goal-oriented collaboration

CBT is a goal-oriented form of treatment in which collaboration and understanding with the therapist are a central part. In traditional CBT you set up goals together with the therapist at the start of the therapy, which you subsequently work towards. In this way both know what the purpose of the therapy is and it becomes clear if the therapy helps one to achieve the goals or if it needs to be changed.

In Internet treatment the patient works more independently on formulating individual goals for the treatment. The care provider is available for support via e-mail.

Continual evaluation

During the treatment you evaluate how things are going, what seems to be working and what's not working. Sometimes the evaluation is made with the help of tried and tested questionnaires, but primarily the focus is on how it's going and to compare the goals and intermediate goals that you have set up.

The evaluation is in general an important basic philosophy within CBT, which is both noticeable in the therapy room and the research about CBT that has been produced over the years.