There are various forms of talk therapy (more commonly called psychotherapy), but research indicates that the most effective form of psychotherapy for depression is cognitive-behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral-therapy focuses on identifying underlying ways of believing or thinking about one's self, the experience of living or other people that generates depressive ways of thinking. In this form of treatment, it is believed that depressive belief and thinking patterns create the emotions of depression that then influence behavior. The focus of talk therapy is to discover these habitual belief and thinking patterns, challenge their irrational nature and replace them with healthier more realistic beliefs and thoughts. The entire process is called cognitive restructuring.
Depression and Talk Therapy
Step 1
Start with talking about the details of emotions related to depression. Other than this broad category (depression), find out what other emotions are present. Identify more specific emotions such as hopelessness, helplessness, fear, guilt or shame.
Step 2
Identify the specific thoughts associated with the various emotions related to depression. For example, find out if helplessness come from thoughts about a specific way you think about yourself, like "I'm just not good enough." This will likely take a great deal of effort since these thoughts have become rapid or automatic and are not easily identified.
Step 3
Challenge the thought that underlies the specific emotion. If the thought is "I'm just not good enough," seek a more realistic thought to replace it with, such as "I have certain weaknesses, but I am good enough at most things."
Step 4
Identify the underlying irrational belief that generates the various depression-creating thoughts. Perhaps the belief is that people who do not perform exceptionally well at many task are not good enough.
Step 5
Challenge and replace the distorted or unrealistic belief. For example, a more realistic belief about people's capabilities is that no one is perfect and every person is valuable regardless of his imperfections.
Step 6
Create a plan to practice this cognitive restructuring on a daily basis. Most trained therapists assist people with this regularly. The old ways of thinking and believing are persistent and require independent effort outside of the therapy session to create lasting change, and your plan should focus on making efforts in your daily life.
Step 7
Monitor progress both in therapy sessions and independently. Tracking progress and periodically reviewing changes achieved builds one's confidence in mastering the process of cognitive restructuring. With confidence comes the ability to independently identify and change belief and thinking patterns that create depression.
References
- William J. Knaus and Albert Ellis; The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Depression; 2006
- Jacqueline Person, et al; Essential Components of Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Depression; 2001
- John W. Ludgate; Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Relapse Prevention for Depression and Anxiety; 2009
