Jesan Ara*, Farah Deeba
Cognitive behavior therapy is an active, directive, time-limited, structured approach used to treat a variety of psychiatric disorders. A CBT Practitioner helps the patient to think and act more realistically and adaptively about their problems thereby reduce symptoms. Aim of this research was to explore the factors that are working as barriers according to the CBT practitioners, in effective use of CBT to reduce symptoms of clients’ psychological problems. A questionnaire was developed consisting items related to application of CBT techniques, various attitude and behavioral aspects of therapist and client, and some potential cultural and societal contextual variables that assumed to undermine the effective use of CBT in reducing the symptoms of psychological disorder. A survey was done on 40 CBT practitioners and their feedback indicated a range of practice oriented, therapist and patient-centered factors, that were working as barriers to symptom reduction, including motivation, social system, and the psychotherapy relationship, in addition to specific problems with implementing CBT for the treatment of psychological disorder. Recommendations on possible management of the barriers to deliver CBT as an effective intervention are discussed.