Brief Summary
This video provides an overview of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mental illness, and ethical considerations in the mental health field. It defines CBT, its principles, and how it addresses the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The video also presents statistics on mental illness in adults and children, available resources in New Jersey, and a role-playing session demonstrating CBT techniques. Furthermore, it discusses value and ethical dilemmas in mental health, including confidentiality, paternalism, and diversity issues within CBT practice.
- CBT focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to create positive changes.
- Mental health conditions affect a significant portion of the population, with individualized treatment plans being essential.
- Ethical dilemmas in mental health often involve confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and cultural competence.
Introduction to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), developed by Dr. Aaron Beck in the 1960s, is a solution-focused therapy that addresses the relationships between a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CBT aims to reconstruct negative thoughts into positive ones, which in turn create positive feelings and behaviors. Key principles of CBT include a good client-therapist relationship, collaboration, active participation from the client, and teaching the client to be their own therapist. Homework may be assigned to practice learned techniques, and the therapist guides the client without dictating their goals.
Understanding Mental Illness and Statistics
Mental illness is defined as a condition impacting a person's thinking, feeling, or mood, affecting their ability to relate to others and function daily. Examples include ADHD, anxiety disorders, autism, bipolar disorder, depression, and PTSD. Mental health conditions are not the result of a single event but can stem from interlinking causes like genetics, environment, and lifestyle. Statistics show that a significant portion of adults and children experience mental illness, with a large percentage not receiving treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to mitigate severe implications, such as suicide.
Available Resources in New Jersey
In New Jersey, a significant number of residents, including children, live with mental illness, highlighting the importance of available resources. The Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services serves adults with serious mental illnesses, while the Department of Children and Families Children's Chairs supports children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral health challenges. Social workers need to be aware of these community and state facilities to effectively treat their clients.
CBT Session Role-Play: Initial Assessment and Goal Setting
A social work intern, Danielle, conducts an initial CBT session with a client named Lisa, who is experiencing symptoms of depression. Danielle gathers Lisa's family history, educational background, and current worries, including feelings of being down, overeating, and social withdrawal. After assessing Lisa's symptoms and ensuring she is not at risk of self-harm, Danielle outlines the goals of the session, which include getting to know each other, discussing session rules, understanding depression, and learning how thoughts affect feelings.
CBT Session Role-Play: Exploring Depression and Treatment
Danielle explains the structure of the CBT treatment, dividing it into sessions focused on thoughts, actions, and relationships. She clarifies the meaning of clinical depression and explores Lisa's feelings of tiredness, worthlessness, and guilt. Danielle connects Lisa's thoughts to her body, actions, and mood, providing an example of how a thought can trigger physical and emotional reactions. The session concludes with an explanation of the homework assignment, which involves completing a mood thermometer daily to track the intensity of depressive symptoms.
Value and Ethical Dilemmas in Mental Health
Value dilemmas in mental health arise when a social worker's values and beliefs differ from the client's, potentially compromising the client's best interests. Ethical dilemmas often center around confidentiality and privacy, including disclosing information to third parties or withholding information from clients (paternalism). Other ethical issues include divided loyalties between the client and the agency, involuntary commitment, and knowledge of illegal acts committed by the client.
Ethical and Diversity Issues in CBT
Ethical dilemmas in CBT can occur when therapists focus too much on technical interventions and not enough on the therapeutic relationship. Additionally, a failure to acknowledge cultural differences in beliefs and behaviors can lead to a lack of inclusion of cultural diversity. Diversity issues in CBT include the inability of therapists to recognize the cultural significance of a client's behaviors and belief systems, as well as the lack of access to therapists who share the client's ethnic background and language, potentially contributing to early treatment dropout among ethnic racial minorities.
