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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - pros and cons

chillzero

Penultimate Amazing
chillzero
Joined
Dec 11, 2002
Messages
15,547
Recently I have been having a bit of a midlife crisis in terms of where I am and where I'm going in life. I realised I have been doing office based IT jobs for 2 decades, and if I don't change anything now, it will be the same for the next 2. The thought of sitting at a desk, trying (and failing) to get my head around office politics for another 20 years just filled me with sheer horror, so I realised it's time to do something about it. This has all been stirring up inside me since my dad's illness, so it isn't a spur of the moment whim.

After chatting things over with some friends, and using a website called Building Windmills, I reviewed my options and weighed my skills and interests against potential incomes. Throwing the job away to devote myself full time to writing and photography is just not feasible much as that would be my preferred life. And, those are activities I can still undertake in my spare time, but I think I will do so more effectively if I am happier in any job I need to retain for a good income. In a few month's time I will probably be able to afford to take a little bit of a drop in wages if necessary, so I can look to (finally) leave IT behind me - even perhaps on a part time basis initially.

So, again, after chatting with some friends, I have decided that I shall consider getting a qualification in CBT, maybe with some additional skills alongside that which are also counselling related. I did a course on counselling skills years ago but never completed the qualification part for a few (irrelevant) reasons. I don't think I'll struggle with the concepts, and methodology, and I've always had positive feedback when I've been involved in a situation where I utilise those skills.

Now, I know some people who are finding CBT to be an effective method for handling matters such as depression. I can see that it seems to be more respected and effective than traditional counselling techniques. I see a lot of pros, in favour of this as a good path for me to consider. What I am wondering is about the cons. Do you know of any reasons I should be considering not taking this qualification? I will be making my decision at the end of this week, and just thought I'd get a steer from you guys.
 
How will you cope with seeing emotionally dysfunctional people every week?

How will you cope with people who don't do their homework?
 
Good questions Ivor, it is part of the 'burn out process'. Usually it is a three year process, you come out the other end or you don't.


Chillzero, it is important to find out what licensing is needed for insurance purposes.

For example in Illinois you can get a variety of counseling degrees, whoever most insurance providors will only pay if you are an LCSW or in some cases an LCPC. So you can have a degree that is certified but most people won't come to you unless their insurance pays. Kind of a sticky wicket.

CBT rocks!
 
Ivor the Engineer said:
How will you cope with seeing emotionally dysfunctional people every week?

How will you cope with people who don't do their homework?
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I think I'll cope better than I currently do with people that I often suspect are emotionally disfuncitonal but take it out on colleagues rather than attend to it.

As for people and homework - I'll see what advice I get on that in the course / job, but I guess I'll weigh each case on it's merits.

Dancing David said:
Good questions Ivor, it is part of the 'burn out process'. Usually it is a three year process, you come out the other end or you don't.
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Thank you both for the note of warning. I don't burn out easily (or I'd have gone completely mental at my last job - this current one is not so bad, it's just not where I want to be in life).


Dancing David said:
Chillzero, it is important to find out what licensing is needed for insurance purposes.

For example in Illinois you can get a variety of counseling degrees, whoever most insurance providors will only pay if you are an LCSW or in some cases an LCPC. So you can have a degree that is certified but most people won't come to you unless their insurance pays. Kind of a sticky wicket.
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I'm in the UK, so a different scenario than this. I do believe I have found a relevant course that gives me a qualification I can utilise in practice ,but I would also look to adding more to it later, if necessary. The best part of this, is that I have time to do it right - I'm not scrabbling to find a job.

Dancing David said:
CBT rocks!
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It certainly seems that way. I'm wondering if anyone disagrees with that, and if so, why.
 
Dancing David said:
...Chillzero, it is important to find out what licensing is needed for insurance purposes.

For example in Illinois you can get a variety of counseling degrees, whoever most insurance providors will only pay if you are an LCSW or in some cases an LCPC. So you can have a degree that is certified but most people won't come to you unless their insurance pays. Kind of a sticky wicket.

CBT rocks!
Click to expand...
Licensed psychologists (usually Ph.D.s or Psy.D.s) qualify for insurance coverage, also. They are also the most likely to have had more training in CBT.
 
Ivor the Engineer said:
How will you cope with seeing emotionally dysfunctional people every week?
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Oh - and one other note on this. I already decided not to expand my training into addication counselling, and am giving serious thought as to whether to add some form of anger management course to it. I have the luxury of time, as I just noted - which gives me more power to ensure I do not go from one lowpoint to another that's just as bad.

I'll start with CBT and see where it leads. If it's not for me, there's not too much lost, really.
 
Working in IT is probably good training for working with emotionally dysfunctional individuals.

:D
 
Ivor the Engineer said:
I wonder if a potential downside to CBT with its emphasis on using the rational part of the brain to deal with problems is that it could lead people into a state of depressive realism.
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http://books.simonandschuster.com/Manufacturing-Depression/Gary-Greenberg/9781416569794

I read this book by Greenberg, which is at least thoughtful.

The way he presents CBT, it's almost a variety of positive thinking, so, no, I don't think depressive realism would be a problem.
 
Having depression, I've tried it. I had great difficulty doing any actual work (I think the social anxiety was screwing me there) but in the end I think it still helped me. I say go for it, but only if you give your clients cute little origami.
 
I had CBT, but it wasn't very successful, partly because it was a group session thing, which isn't really my thing, and partly because I don't see how it would be successful for my problems. I'd still like to try it again, because, as you say, it does have an increasingly good reputation, and I've run out of other options.
 
Giggywig said:
Cock and Ball Torture?
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That was also my first guess:relieved:
And, while this would offer some interesting career choices, I don't think they'd suit Chill. Or maybe they would I'm bloody awful at figuring out people's inner kinks........

I will now leave this thread (I know nothing about the other CBT) but on a final (and serious) note; Chill I wish you all the best in whatever you choose.
I've worked in the IT field for twenty years too, mostly for large corporates, and while I enjoy the work the politics and organisational/institutional crap gets me down too. Six years ago I left a large corporation, where I'd worked as a consultant and set up on my own with the intention of using IT to support my other interests. It took a fair level of determination to avoid the 9-5 mindset and only work the hours I wanted but I managed it and I hope you can too.
 
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