Anxiety, depression, fear, frustration, low self-esteem, and many more. All of these have a common playing ground – negative thinking.
When it comes to these words, we all do not want to be associated with them or what they offer. However, this is far from reality for many folks. Many people from all works of life and age-grade are trapped helplessly in a cycle of negative feelings.
The situation is more horrible for students, regardless of their grade level. Aside from the frequent possibility of bad grades, their sanity is caught up in the mess. What then is the solution?
Say hello to cognitive behavioral therapy!
For students with these negative feelings, cognitive behavioral therapy is important. In the long run, administering CBT will enable them to make the most of their lives and abilities.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and education are two concepts that need to progress hand in hand. This will help students fare better in their studies and life at large.
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
This is a therapeutic interactive session aimed at improving mental health. It is a practice that has been in existence for quite a while.
The objective of these sessions is to help victims or clients control and harness their minds. The concept strongly believes that people are as good as how they think. It stresses that a person’s emotions and behavioral patterns are strongly linked to how one thinks.
As an illustration, if a student is trapped in a thought web that is negative, the consequential behavior will be negative.
Negative thoughts = Negative Emotions and Behavior
Positive Thoughts = Positive Emotions and Behavior
How Effective Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
The numbers do not lie; this therapy does indeed have an impressive track record. More remarkable is the timeliness at which positive results are usually recorded.
The active practice dates back to the 1960s and has experienced positive modifications over time. For example, the ideals that cognitive behavioral therapy promotes are scientifically validated by a large number of psychologists. You may click here to know more its history.
As earlier stated, the effectiveness of this therapy does not take forever to be noticed. Although there will always be a need for improvement, the results are usually astonishing if the client is open to help and changes.
The Present State of CBT In Education
In all fairness, cognitive behavioral therapy has been explored from time to time in some academic quarters. However, the problem lies in uniformity and the degree of its usage. Let us go over some of the challenges CBT faces in education.
It Is Not Unanimously Used
This is a profoundly serious problem facing the implementation of CBT in the education system. It is not unusual to see it overlooked in some academic quarters, despite its apparent importance.
Poor Allocation of Time
In most places where CBT is engaged in education, the allocation of time does not help matters.
Of a truth, the academic setting is very demanding as there is a lot to learn, unlearn, and relearn. This means that a large chunk of time is needed to achieve this.
On the other hand, CBT requires uninterrupted dedication in time and effort at making important lifestyle changes. This is where there is a clash of interest between cognitive behavioral therapy and education.
The solution lies in creating a CBT inclined education structure. This is particularly important at the preliminary education stage.
The teaching style and techniques, as well as resources and materials, should align with the ideals of CBT. Once again, the idea is that cognitive behavioral therapy and education aligns together.
Also, you should understand that students require varying degrees of CBT. The need for the therapy is down to a lot of factors. For instance, some students have negative backgrounds and upbringings that affect their performance and behavior.
Such students would likely require a more intensive effort. Also, group sessions may not work for some students. All these differences have to be accepted and factored into the system.
Lack of the Right Hands
When you fall ill, you do not visit the architect. The architect is relevant on his own and he does not have the solution to your present plight. In the same vein, CBT can only be administered efficiently by the right person.
There is a misconception that the average school counselor can fit into the program. This is entirely wrong and should be dismissed.
Considering this, the education system should not only accept the need for CBT, but entrust it to the right hands.
To know more about the requirements for becoming a CBT professional, you can watch this:
Aside from engaging the services of an educational CBT professional, the regular teachers and staff should be trained to help out. The teaching technique, aid, material, should be CBT inclined. The consensual aim should be realizing an effective cognitive behavioral education system.
Why Do Students Need Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Time has proven how every person has potentials and abilities that can be harnessed. Among many things, the purpose of education is to empower students with the required skills to maximize their potential(s).
However, this purpose cannot be achieved if students are not in the right frame of mind. This is the point where CBT comes in. It is aimed at helping the student fare better by thinking better and positively.
Conclusion
Many students are influenced by negative happening around them. This includes bullying, drugs, negative peer pressure, fear, depression, frustration, low self-esteem, and the list is endless.
To sail through difficult times and life stages, the education system must be willing to adopt a helpful approach. The CBT is a tested, trusted and viable approach that should be maximized. In truth, we cannot exhaust the importance of CBT, especially for students.