Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral family therapy (CBFT) is a highly effective approach to couples and family therapy.  Practical applications indicate that CBFT is an effective approach to improving family functions.  This approach has also shown significant efficacy in training parents about behavioral interventions for their children's conduct.  This success is due to the cognitive and behavioral concepts on which CBFT is based.  Specifically, the core principles of CBFT are embedded in behaviorism and cognitive approaches to family systems, where families are perceived as having a homeostatic pattern of thinking and behaving reinforced through feedback loops.

Behaviorisms

Within the behaviorism model, CBFT is based on operant conditioning concepts. Operant conditioning argues that reinforcement promotes desired behavior while punishment reduces undesired behavior (Veldorale-Griffin, 2023). As a result, negative feedback loops sustain undesired behavioral patterns among family members. According to Samar et al. (2023), CBFT targets the behavioral issues among family members rather than the family structure. This focus is motivated by the assumption that the behaviors of one family member trigger a reactive behavior from another, creating a circular causality within the family system. Thus, by focusing on behavioral problems, therapists can help family members eliminate problematic situations through behavioral interventions.

In addition to operant conditioning, CBFT incorporates social learning theory and social exchange theory to explain how individuals learn problematic behaviors. According to Lan and Sher (2019), social learning theory helps therapists understand symptoms as learned responses. This theory also helps therapists emphasize the impacts of social reinforcements on behaviors. On the other hand, social exchange theory focuses on the rewards and cost considerations in an individual's behavior. According to Veldorale-Griffin (2023), people engage in conduct that maximizes rewards and minimizes costs in their relationships. Family conflict arises when individuals offset this balance by engaging in behaviors that harm other family members. Therefore, these theories underpin the behavioral foundations of CBFT.

Cognitive Approaches

Cognitive approaches in CBFT focus on how individuals exchange cognitions in a family system. Specifically, this therapy approach posits that stable underlying schemas influence an individual's cognition (Lan & Sher, 2019). For instance, a schema may involve unhealthy attachment, affecting how individuals think about relationships. If one develops a strong belief that they are unlovable, they will likely apply this schema in future relationships, undermining hope for positive attachment (Veldorale-Griffin, 2023). Schemas strongly impact cognition because they determine one’s automatic thoughts and emotional reactions. In addition, families develop schemas due to similar beliefs and experiences. Lan and Sher (2019) stated that if these family schemas encourage distorted thoughts, they may create dysfunctional interactions. Therefore, therapists help families recognize and challenge distorted schemas and implement cognitive interventions to improve mental processing.

Conclusion

CBFT is a highly effective family therapy approach that applies cognitive and behavioral concepts. From a behavioral perspective, CBFT is founded on the concept of operant conditioning. It evaluates how reinforcements influence behaviors. Social learning theories help therapists interpret how individuals learn specific behaviors. On the other hand, social exchange theory explains how individuals engage in behaviors that emphasize rewards and reduce costs in relationships. Cognitive approaches to CBFT focus on schemas, which involve deep beliefs that determine one’s automatic thoughts and emotional responses. Specifically, families with distorted schemas are likely to have dysfunctional interactions. Therefore, CBFT focuses on eradicating problematic behavioral patterns by challenging distorted beliefs within the family system.