According to psychologists, behavioral therapy is a treatment therapy that is based on the application of findings from behavioral science research (Butler, Chapman & Forman 2005). The therapy seeks to improve the quality of life for families, individuals, and systems in the ways they would like to change. The therapy holds assumptions that despite the significance of the past, the present is most important in affecting present behavior, and that behavior is learned from the environment. The therapy also seeks to improve self-control by expanding the individual’s skills and abilities. Additionally, the therapy has been found to a useful treatment tool for organic disorders, maladaptive behaviors, and coping with life situations. Its effectiveness is credited to the ability to empower the patients by giving them the capacity to take an active part in the treatment process, which is usually administered in an outpatient setting (Butler, Chapman & Forman 2005).
On the other hand, cognitive therapy is a treatment process that enables patients to correct self-belief that can lead to negative moods and behavior. The therapy holds an assumption that a mood is preceded by a thought. In this assumption, it implies that learning to substitute negative thoughts with healthy ones could improve the moods of a person, their behavior, self-image and physical state. The therapy has been found to effectively treat depression (Wells 1997).
In my opinion, behavioral therapy is better than the cognitive therapy since it does not seek to unearth past events of a person’s life, but bases much focus on the present. The therapy understands that by reminding people of their past, they might not recover from them since these past events could “open up healing wounds”, which hinders recovery process. The therapy is important in treating several disorders as compared to cognitive therapy, which only effectively treats depression.
References:
Wells A., (1997), Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders: A Practice Manual and Conceptual Guide, Psychoz Publications, retrieved from http://www.psychotherapy.com.au/shop/book-store/human-and-clinical-issue/anxiety-panic-stress-management/cognitive-therapy-of-anxiety-disorders.html
Butler A. C., Chapman E. J. & Forman M. E., (2005), the empirical status of cognitive-behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses, Clinical Psychology Review, retrieved from http://johnjayresearch.org/cje/files/2012/08/Empirical-Status-of-CBT.pdf
