Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a highly effective approach for tackling mental health issues among various groups, including LGBTQ people. In this article, we delve into the benefits of CBT for the LGBTQ community, focusing on its ability to help manage anxiety, depression, minority stress, and alcohol misuse.
Call 888.903.9898 to learn how La Fuente uses cognitive behavioral therapy.
What Is CBT?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of counseling that helps people notice and change harmful thinking and behavior patterns. By merging cognitive therapy with behavior therapy, it targets negative thought patterns, emotions, and actions, replacing them with healthier alternatives.
To put it another way, CBT focuses on shifting automatic negative thoughts that can aggravate mental health issues and mood swings. It teaches individuals to spot, question, and substitute these patterns with more realistic perspectives.
While it’s often used for managing anxiety and depression, CBT has also proven helpful for dealing with substance abuse, phobias, eating disorders, and anger management.
How CBT Works
CBT typically spans 6 to 20 sessions, each lasting 30 to 60 minutes.
During these sessions, the client and the therapist organize the client’s issues into distinct elements: thoughts, physical sensations, and actions. They then examine these components to determine if they’re real and/or helpful.
From there, the therapist guides the client in spotting and challenging unhelpful thoughts and behaviors in their daily lives. The client keeps track of their progress between appointments and discusses improvements and challenges during subsequent sessions.
Here are some of the thinking and behavioral patterns CBT addresses:
Changing thinking patterns:
- Recognizing distortions: Clients uncover and challenge distorted thoughts that contribute to their problems, gaining clarity and resilience.
- Understanding others: Like detectives, clients learn to decode human behavior, forge deeper connections, and navigate social situations confidently.
- Problem-solving: Equipped with proven tools, clients tackle challenges with clarity and determination, emerging stronger and more capable.
- Building confidence: Clients cultivate confidence and self-awareness, unlocking their full potential and embracing life’s adventures.
Changing behavioral patterns:
- Facing fears: Clients embrace courage by facing their fears head-on.
- Role-playing: Clients sharpen their interpersonal skills by preparing for challenging interactions.
- Relaxation techniques: Clients practice meditation and yoga to soothe their minds and bodies, thereby promoting emotional balance and well-being
The ultimate goal of CBT is to equip clients with skills they can use in their everyday lives. This empowers them to manage their problems, even after treatment ends.
Benefits of CBT for the LGBTQ Community
Since its introduction in the 1960s, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has established itself as a highly effective treatment across diverse populations facing various challenges. While research on CBT and the LGBTQ community is limited, existing studies show promising results.
This is encouraging given the mental health challenges in the LGBTQ community. For instance, LGBTQ people are 2.5 times more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and substance misuse compared to their heterosexual, cisgender peers.
These disparities are a result of the minority stress LGBTQ people feel after being rejected, discriminated against, or excluded. Such stressors often lead to feelings of hopelessness, something that contributes to the elevated rates of suicidal ideation within this group.
To further complicate things, LGBTQ people often face adverse childhood experiences such as emotional or physical abuse, both of which worsen mental health outcomes and coping skills.
CBT offers numerous benefits to members of the LGBTQ community. Here are a few notable examples:
Reduces anxiety and depression
Given CBT’s track record in treating anxiety and depression among other groups, it’s no surprise that it’s also effective in supporting LGBTQ individuals dealing with these conditions.
Studies have shown that LGBTQ individuals experience notable reductions in depressive symptoms after finishing a CBT program.
Even more promising is that these programs can be self-administered online, eliminating the need for direct therapist involvement and widening the reach of these beneficial interventions. This accessibility is particularly important for those residing in stigmatized or unsupportive environments.
Combats minority stress
Minority stress refers to the high levels of stress members of stigmatized minority groups face. While often used in the context of racial or ethnic identity, it’s also a major issue for LGBTQ people. It stems from the victimization, prejudice, and discrimination LGBTQ people encounter because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression.
This constant discrimination often causes LGBTQ individuals to internalize these negative beliefs and blame themselves for the poor treatment they receive.
CBT is a powerful tool for challenging these harmful beliefs. Programs designed to combat minority stress validate people’s experiences while also helping them explore the root causes of their stress, such as media messages, family rejection, and bullying.
In this way, individuals move away from self-blame (“there’s something wrong with me”) towards recognizing external factors like homophobia and transphobia as the cause of discrimination.
Recognizing this, along with becoming more self-aware and understanding how thoughts and emotions are linked, while also adopting healthy coping methods contributes to the effectiveness of CBT as a treatment method for minority stress.
Helps with alcohol use problems
A 2015 study of young lesbian, gay, and bisexual people found that those who participated in a 10-session CBT program experienced a notable decrease in alcohol-related issues. Specifically, they reported a reduction in heavy drinking episodes in the preceding three months.
Experience LGBTQ-Affirmative CBT at La Fuente
At La Fuente Hollywood Treatment Center, we integrate CBT techniques into our individual, group, and family therapy sessions. Sessions with our therapists typically run from 60 to 90 minutes, depending on each client’s specific needs and goals.
These sessions aim to help clients reduce addiction triggers, develop self-care habits, and sustain long-term sobriety.
As a leading LGBTQ-affirmative treatment program, our CBT sessions are tailored to address the unique needs of LGBTQ individuals. This includes supporting them in overcoming internalized homophobia, navigating discrimination, and embracing their authentic identity.
Learn more about our Los Angeles recovery center by calling 888.903.9898.
