Comparison of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Existential Therapy - Essay Example

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy vs. Existential Therapy Name Institution Lecturer Course Date Word Count: 2145 Introduction Psychologists use several therapeutic modalities to be able to analyse a situation that a person may be going through. Cognitive behaviour therapy and existential therapy are some of these modalities. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapy that is used to assist us in changing our unhealthy and unhelpful thinking habits, behaviour and feelings. It uses self-help strategies designed to bring immediate change and positivity in an individual’s life (Laidlaw et al., 2003). CBT focuses on now and here including the challenges that we face during our daily life. It is a therapy that helps us evaluate and interpolate the events happening around our lives and how our perception and thoughts affect our emotional experience (Rector, 2010). Existential therapy is an approach that focuses on our freedom to choose and what to make out of our circumstances. The approach indicates that people are free to choose and therefore responsible for the actions and choices they make (Spinelli, 2006). Existential therapy has six basic dimensions that include self-awareness capacity, meaningful relationship establishment and identity creation, the tension between responsibility and freedom, anxiety acceptance, awareness of nonbeing and death and the search for goals, meaning, values and purpose (Cooper, 2003). The purpose of this paper is analysing a client’s presentation case study from the perspective of these two therapeutic modalities. The case study involves a 50-year-old woman, Jane, who needs advice concerning her depression issue. Description of the two Modalities Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in relation to Jane’s Case Because of the hardships she has encountered in her life, which includes being divorced and having to leave her work to take care of her paralysed mother, Jane finds it hard to move on with her life. She is anxious about staying away from home for long and finds it hard to interact with people. Jane can be helped using the cognitive behaviour therapy approach. According to this approach, the first thing is to identify how she thinks about herself and the people that are around her. It will also help in identifying the effects that her feelings and thoughts about herself and others affect her daily life (Vivyan, 2009). Jane’s anxiety may be because of the fear to go meet new people who might break her heart or fear of getting into an accident similar to the one that claimed her dad and her mother’s health. CBT will help Jane focus on her current situation and her well-being now, despite what might have happened in the past. The CBT approach indicates that it is not the situation that leads to emotions, but it is the way we interpret the situation (Vivyan, 2009). In this case study, CBT would work by assisting Jane to focus on the current situation that is her depression that makes her anxious to meet new people and be away from home. After identifying the situation or event, which might be her age, Jane should try to give a positive meaning to the situation that will lead to positive and healthy emotion. This way she might be able to meet new people and be able to overcome anxiety (Cullu& Teten, 2008). Existential Therapy in Relation to Jane’s Case Existential Therapy concentrates on the tension and encourages us to face the fear off what is unknown. This approach encourages people to make and be responsible of their choices and develop meaning (Shapiro, 2010). The existential therapy helps one to identify the meaning of life and create a meaning for the things that we chose for ourselves. This approach can help Jane in defining a meaning for her life by assisting her to identify the purpose and meaning of her life. Existential Therapy can appropriately work in Jane’s case by helping her achieve the basic goals of this approach. These goals include expanding her self-awareness, increasing her choice potentials, accepting the responsibilities that come along with her choices, and being able to experience existence that is authentic (Cooper, 2003) Jane looks at herself as too old to be able to go back to nursing or even get into a relationship. The Existential therapy can help her expand herself awareness. Self-awareness helps us to identify that time is limited for every human and every human has the potential to make his or her own choices. This way she can be able to avoid being anxious and make a choice to move on with life and get back to her practising her career to maximise on the limited time she may have. The approach will also assist Jane to understand that she has the freedom to choose to move on and start a new relationship and be able to take responsibility of her choices (Grant, 2009). Because of her depression, Jane is experiencing anxiety to meet new people and be away from home for a long time. The existential therapy should help Jane understand that she need to grow career wise and in her life despite her age. Understanding this anxiety will help her reduce the fear of the unknown and help her search for a meaning in her life that would fill her emptiness in terms of her relationship and career life. Having a meaning for life will help her commit to going back to her career and meet people despite her age (Grant, 2009). Summary on Understanding Jane’s Case in Relation to the Two Modalities. From the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy approach, Jane can be understood as one who lets her current situations affect the way she perceives and thinks about herself. In her case, Jane’s thoughts and perceptions have created negative emotions of anxiety. The situation in this case is that she feels she is old and the fact that she is alone. This makes her think that she is not young enough to be able to meet someone and start a relationship or even go back to practising her nursing career. This perception of herself not being young enough makes her feel anxious to meet new people or even leave her home for a long period (Froggatt, 2009). Based on the Existential therapy, Jane seems to have lost her self-awareness that she has limited time and that she has to define the meaning of her life to make every time she has count. She fails to understand that she has the freedom to make her own choices and take responsibility of her own decisions for her to be able to fill her emptiness and loneliness and be able to move on (Deurzen, 2010). The anxiety to meet people and to spend long periods away from home that Jane is experiencing can be identified as neurotic anxiety, which is the reason she is afraid that she may be too old to go back to practising her career or even be able to date again (Spinselli, 2007). This may be because of her divorce, the accident which led to her father’s death and her mother paralysed or her old age. The issue is that Jane needs self-awareness and a new meaning to her lie or her to make decisions that will help her move on despite her past or age. Differences between the Two Modalities One major difference between cognitive behaviour therapy and the existential therapy in relation to Jane case is the fact that unlike the existential therapy that may focus on our past situations and events as well as now and here situation, the cognitive behaviour therapy only focuses on now and here. This means that the cognitive behaviour therapy only focuses on the effects that a current situation has on the client’s perception and how it affects their emotions. Considering how the two modalities work for Jane, the cognitive behaviour therapy will only focus on Jane’s age while the existential therapy will focus on Jane’s current situation, the age, and the past situation which include her divorce, the death of her dad and her mother’s paralysis (Butler et al., 2005). Another difference in the way the two modalities work in relation to Jane’s case is the fact that cognitive behaviour therapy will assist Jane to manage anxiety by having positive perception and thoughts about an event currently happening to her. On the other hand, existential therapy will assist Jane to manage anxiety by perceiving it as normal and unavoidable, which will help her give a meaning to her life and move on with her life. The cognitive behaviour therapy will assist Jane to evaluate how her behaviours are related to her emotions while the existential therapy will help her explore the meaning of life and at the same time enhance her self-awareness (Burgess & Chalder, 2004). Another noticeable difference is the fact that the cognitive behaviour therapy consists of techniques that are well defined while the existential therapy uses philosophical approaches. The existential therapy will focus on Jane’s existence and her freedom to make choices and take responsibility of them for her to be able to move on and meet new people. Cognitive behaviour therapy, on the other hand, is a more practical approach that defines certain goals and uses active methods to be able to achieve the goals (Prasko, 2012). Also, for existential therapy to work, Jane will have to be responsible of her existence having the knowledge that time is limited and make her own choices to help he move on. However, cognitive behaviour therapy is entirely based Jane making cognitive decision to have positive thoughts that affect her emotions positively leading to positive emotions that will help her mange anxiety (Knaus, 2008). Similarities between the two Modalities One similarity between cognitive behaviour therapy and existential therapy is that both the modalities involve collaboration between the client and the therapist and includes assignments that the client will have to undertake. Another similarity is the fact that the two modalities will assist Jane by encouraging her to face her fears and manage her anxiety head on and to make her own decisions that will help her move on with her life. This way she is able to focus on the future more than her past. Regardless of their different approaches, the two therapies recognise and appreciate the choices the client makes concerning changing her life. The two approaches use an analysis of here and now situations to be able to identify the cause of the client’s anxiety and emotions. The other similarity between the two is the fact that they both work using conscious therapy that will help Jane identify why and what develops negative emotions and anxiety. This way the two therapies are able to assist her to be ready to face the future and plan to make it better regardless of the current or past situations. The two modalities are also similar in that they are rational; they use experiential approaches and they train by use of coping skills (Prasko et al., 2012) Most Appropriate Approach to use on Jane’s Case Study The most appropriate approach to use in Jane’s Case is the Existential Therapy. This is because it is the best approach to help Jane have self-awareness of her life and create a meaning for her life despite her rough past. The approach will also train Jane to be able to make her own choices and be responsible for them. This way she will be committed to adding meaning to her life through meeting new people and getting back to her career despite her age and past situation (Shapiro, 2010). Existential therapy will also help Jane to manage her anxiety so that she is able to establish and identify new relationships. This way she will be able to have the courage to meet people or even leave her home for longer periods. The approach will also help Jane in identifying her identity, which will give her the courage to overcome her worries and move on with her life. Conclusively, this approach is the most appropriate since it focuses on training us to have self-awareness, manage anxiety, utilise the freedom of making choices and being responsible of them and be able to add meaning to our lives (Prasko et al., 2012). Conclusion Depression is mental condition that requires therapy and monitoring. There are several modalities that therapist use but this paper focuses on the cognitive behaviour therapy and the existential therapy. The paper has analysed how both can be used to help Jane who is suffering from depression and anxiety. From the analysis, cognitive behaviour therapy has been understood to work on the bases of analysing now and here events affecting one’s thoughts and emotions. Understanding this helps the therapist to train the client to manage her emotions. The existential therapy focuses on creating self-awareness and helping the client manage anxiety by adding meaning to her life which assists her to move on and face her worries. The evaluation identifies existential approach as the best approach to work for Jane’s case. References Burgess, M. & Chalder, T. (2004). Manual for Therapist: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for CFS/ME. MREC, 2, 1-162. Butler, A. C., Chapman, J. E., Forman, E. M., Beck, A. T. (2005). The Empirical Status of Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy: A review of Meta-Analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 17-31. Cooper, M. (2003). Existential Therapies. London: Sage Publication Ltd. Cullu, J. A. & Teten, A. L. (2008). A Therapist’s Guide to Brief Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. U.S.: Department of Veterans Affair, South Central Mental Illness Research. Deurzen, V. (2010). The Framework of Existential Therapy. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/36600_02_Van_Deurzen_Ch_01.pdf Froggatt, W. (2009). A Brief Introduction to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. New Zealand: Wayne Froggatt. Grant, S. K. (2009). Existential Therapy. Retrieved from http://www.csun.edu/~hcpsy002/Psy460_Ch06_Handout_ppt.pdf Knaus, W. J. (2008). The Cognitive Behavioural Workbook for Anxiety: A step-by-step Program. California: New Harbinger Publications, Inc. Laidlaw, K., Thompson, L. W., Dolores, G. & Dick-Siskin, L. (2003). Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with Older People. West Sussex: John Wiley & Son Ltd, Prasko, J., Mainerova, B., Jelenova, D., Kamarodava, D & Sigmundova, Z. (2012). Existential Perspective and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Activitas Nervosa Superior Redlviva, 54(1), 3-14. Rector, N. A. (2010). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: An Information Guide. Toronto: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Shapiro, J. L. (2010). Existential Psychotherapy. Santa Clara University. Vivyan, C. (2009). An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Retrieved from www.getselfhelp.co.uk Spinselli, E. (2007). Practising Existential Psychotherapy: The Relational World. London: Sage Publication. Spinelli, E. (2006). Existential Psychotherapy: An Introduction Overview. Analise Psicologica, 3(24), 311-321. Read More

Existential Therapy can appropriately work in Jane’s case by helping her achieve the basic goals of this approach. These goals include expanding her self-awareness, increasing her choice potentials, accepting the responsibilities that come along with her choices, and being able to experience an existence that is authentic (Cooper, 2003)

Jane looks at herself as too old to be able to go back to nursing or even get into a relationship. Existential therapy can help her expand her self-awareness. Self-awareness helps us to identify that time is limited for every human and every human has the potential to make his or her own choices. This way she can be able to avoid being anxious and make a choice to move on with life and get back to her practicing her career to maximize the limited time she may have. The approach will also assist Jane to understand that she has the freedom to choose to move on and start a new relationship and be able to take responsibility for her choices (Grant, 2009). 

Because of her depression, Jane is experiencing anxiety to meet new people and be away from home for a long time. The existential therapy should help Jane understand that she needs to grow career-wise and in her life despite her age. Understanding this anxiety will help her reduce the fear of the unknown and help her search for a meaning in her life that would fill her emptiness in terms of her relationship and career life. Having a meaning for life will help her commit to going back to her career and meet people despite her age (Grant, 2009).

Summary on Understanding Jane’s Case in Relation to the Two Modalities.

From the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy approach, Jane can be understood as one who lets her current situations affect the way she perceives and thinks about herself. In her case, Jane’s thoughts and perceptions have created negative emotions of anxiety. The situation, in this case, is that she feels she is old and the fact that she is alone. This makes her think that she is not young enough to be able to meet someone and start a relationship or even go back to practicing her nursing career. This perception of herself not being young enough makes her feel anxious to meet new people or even leave her home for a long period (Froggatt, 2009).

Based on Existential therapy, Jane seems to have lost her self-awareness that she has limited time and that she has to define the meaning of her life to make every time she has count. She fails to understand that she has the freedom to make her own choices and take responsibility for her own decisions for her to be able to fill her emptiness and loneliness and be able to move on (Deurzen, 2010). The anxiety to meet people and to spend long periods away from home that Jane is experiencing can be identified as neurotic anxiety, which is the reason she is afraid that she may be too old to go back to practicing her career or even be able to date again (Spinselli, 2007). This may be because of her divorce, the accident which led to her father’s death and her mother paralyzed, or her old age. The issue is that Jane needs self-awareness and a new meaning to her lie or her to make decisions that will help her move on despite her past or age. 

Differences between the Two Modalities

One major difference between cognitive behaviour therapy and existential therapy in relation to Jane's case is the fact that, unlike existential therapy that may focus on our past situations and events as well as now and here situation, cognitive behavior therapy only focuses on now and here. This means that cognitive behavior therapy only focuses on the effects that a current situation has on the client’s perception and how it affects their emotions. Considering how the two modalities work for Jane, the cognitive behavior therapy will only focus on Jane’s age while the existential therapy will focus on Jane’s current situation, the age, and the past situation which include her divorce, the death of her dad, and her mother’s paralysis (Butler et al., 2005).

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