Assessment & Diagnosis
There are many psychotherapy schools (i.e. psychoanalysis, integrative, gestalt, person-centred, hypnotherapy, etc.) that make various claims. CBT stands apart by positioning itself as evidence-based psychological treatment. This means that all CBT methods are grounded in research and are operating within the medical model with clear screening, assessment and diagnosis processes aimed at undermining both specific disorders (i.e. OCD, Panic, Phobias, etc.) as well as complex emotional problems (i.e. Low Self-Esteem, Major Depressive Disorder, etc.). Treatment plans would usually involve collaboratively agreed strategies aimed at disrupting factors that predispose, perpetuate and precipitate mental health symptoms. Mental health symptoms maintain an internal sense of vulnerability over years through rather complex mechanisms usually designed at an earlier stage in one’s life.
As such, the initial session is in fact a psychological assessment (likely to last up to two hours) that leads to a diagnosis and triggers a treatment or therapy plan. Depending on the diagnosis, the therapeutic process can last from a few hours to a few months and in some cases more than one year.
As such, the initial session is in fact a psychological assessment (likely to last up to two hours) that leads to a diagnosis and triggers a treatment or therapy plan. Depending on the diagnosis, the therapeutic process can last from a few hours to a few months and in some cases more than one year.
