Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Article Analysis

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Expressing feelings can be effective and therapeutic, in this way Cognitive Therapy is flawed. It is also falling short in the fact that Ellis believed that human beings do not need love and acceptance from significant others to feel worthwhile. I believe the opposite, in that an individual needs to have a close relationship with another person to be emotionally healthy. The majority of the short comings inherent within Cognitive Therapy, in regards to multicultural factors, revolve around the clinician. The theory was developed by western minds and can have inherent western concepts of assertiveness, independence, and the communication of emotional content may unintentionally be forced upon a client. Thus the councilor must be careful to …show more content…
If a councilor finds that they are unable to remove a potentially damaging bias or is unwilling to do so they should recommend another professional to the client. It is also important to take into consideration a person’s past. It may be that the individual has dealt with trauma due to gender identity, race, socioeconomic status, or cultural identity. If these factors are not taken into account it is likely that the councilor will do more harm than good.
The similarities and differences between these two approaches is highlighted within the article Existential perspectives and cognitive behavioral therapy (Prasko 2012). Within this article they take a systematic approach to clarify the differences, short comings, and shared methods of these therapies. The article opens up by listing the limitations classical cognitive behavior theory to “existential questions, such as meaning of life, acceptance of unchangeable aspects, meaning of values, transcendence, significance of experiences, and heading into the future” (Prasko, 2012). While these differences are in fact significant, both therapies “accent the
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To do so one should be aware of one’s self, biases, and general philosophical view of the world they inhabit. It is not as easy as simply picking the current popular movement or what might seem easiest to implement. Existential therapy is the best choice in my mind, though far from perfect. It seeks to assist clients in answering truly important and increasingly difficult questions. The largest of these being why we exist. It is my view that without purpose or meaning to one’s existence there in point in existing. How can an individual hope to contribute to society, find the force of will to push herself/himself through the monotony of the day, or deal with an increasingly hostile world without a feeling of purpose? Is anything without purpose or meaning worth doing? I do not believe so. I personally pose this question several times a day, every day in hopes of discovering a deeper meaning. It is my belief that there must be a reason to go about the daily tasks present in life, greater than to simply continue to exist. If I do not see purpose or meaning in an action, completing said action becomes monumentally more difficult and increasingly less likely to be completed. This is not to say that I am unwilling to do work or need an epiphany to take out the trash. Meaning and purpose is needed to sustain oneself as well as to cause change. . I do not believe I am alone in this, apathy is growing among