Why is Psychoeducation Important in CBT?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most common forms of talk therapy. It uses the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to help people stop negative and maladaptive behaviors. One often overlooked aspect of CBT is psychoeducation.
CBT psychoeducation helps you engage with your treatment, increases your understanding of mental health, and empowers you. Throughout your treatment, you’ll learn about the cause of mental illness, common symptoms, coping skills, how CBT works, awareness of relapsing, and common misconceptions.
What is Psychoeducation?
In a broad sense, psychoeducation is the process of teaching someone about their mental illness and the therapeutic interventions available. It’s used to explain the “what,” the “why,” and the “how” of nearly every element of a health issue and its treatment.
This can be passive like passing out pamphlets, or sending emails. Or it can be active; a conversation between therapist and client, family, or community.
Psychoeducation can be a component of any form of therapy and it can involve family members as well as people in the community. It can be used to educate a large group of people or a specific individual.
Read more about psychoeducation and its role in treatment here.
CBT Psychoeducation
CBT is a client-centered therapy that asks you to work collaboratively with your therapist. You’ll be mindfully examining yourself and using CBT systems. Psychoeducation helps you put the tools you need to examine yourself into perspective.
It’s important that you learn about your mental health condition and how CBT works. With a decent knowledge of those two things, you’ll get more out of your treatment.
Read more about CBT here.
How Psychoeducation Elevates CBT
Psychoeducation helps prevent relapse as well as improve many mental illnesses. It does this through:
- Empowerment
- Engagement
- Understanding
These three attributes allow psychoeducation to complement CBT and make it more effective.
It Empowers You
Knowing more about your mental health condition can grow your self-confidence. You’ll have a more exact understanding of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. And you’ll feel more confident in your treatment and your future.
You’ll also learn coping skills that will empower you to deal with discomfort and distress throughout daily life. Knowing exactly how CBT is helping can help you feel some power and control over your symptoms.
It Keeps You Engaged
CBT is a therapy that asks you to examine yourself in three ways:
- Thoughts
- Emotions
- Behaviors
Your thoughts influence your emotions which influence your behaviors—and your emotions can influence thoughts, and behavior influences emotion. These three are intricately connected.
When you receive psychoeducation about CBT you’ll be better equipped to examine yourself through this lens.
It Increases Understanding
Psychotherapy teaches people about their condition as well as mental health in general. This helps them better understand what they’re thinking and feeling, and why.
Increasing understanding of mental health can give voice to issues and topics otherwise unexplainable. The more you know, the better.
It also helps with understanding treatment and the treatment journey. Healing isn’t linear—there are ups and downs, and not everything your counselor asks you to do makes sense immediately. Psychoeducation puts why CBT works into perspective.
What CBT Psychoeducation May Include
Psychoeducation is not just something you’ll pick up while attending CBT. It’s an intentional plan.
These are the topics that every psychoeducation plan should include.
Causes of Mental Health Issues
Psychoeducation should include an explanation of what may be the cause of your mental illness. This doesn’t have to be specific but instead includes chemical, dietary, and social factors.
For example, if you’re experiencing anxiety, your therapist might explain how the amygdala works and the chemicals that are at play when you feel anxious.
Related Article: Anxiety
Common Symptoms
When you started feeling symptoms, you may have been scared and confused. It sometimes takes time to even understand what exactly is happening to you.
While attending CBT, you’ll be taught about other symptoms that are common for your condition. Learning about the symptoms surrounding your illness can help decrease that fear and confusion.
This can also help you define other symptoms you didn’t know you were experiencing.
Coping Skills
Coping skills help you go on with your life in the face of distress or discomfort. Whenever symptoms arise, or you’re worried they can be triggered, you can utilize these skills to return to your emotional baseline.
They’re also helpful tools you can use during therapy if your emotions become heightened.
The History and Methodology of CBT
Your therapist will likely explain how CBT works and why it works. Like other forms of therapy, it’s important to feel comfortable during treatment. Learning about how CBT works will make you more comfortable during your treatment and more likely to open up.
Learning about the cognitive model will also help you engage with the modality and examine yourself.
Dispelling Misconceptions and Stigmas
People are getting better at understanding how harmful stigmas are. However, we’re not quite there yet. There is still so much people misunderstand about mental illness, and psychoeducation addresses this.
During your sessions, your therapist will explain your mental illness outside of stigmas as well as explain common misconceptions and why they’re wrong.
Related Article: What to Expect From Therapy
Awareness of Signs of Relapse
Throughout therapy, you might start to notice patterns that indicate when things will get rough. However, your therapist should walk you through how to look out for mental health relapses.
This could include a mental health relapse plan with specific signs to look out for. This could look like a detailed mental health relapse plan or reminders.
Related Article: Mental Health Relapse
Learn at Sequoia Behavioral Health
Psychoeducation works best in tandem with a treatment plan. At Sequoia Behavioral Health, we build personalized treatment plans that often include psychoeducation. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help you in your mental health journey, contact us today.