How is cognitive therapy different from simply telling people to cheer up?
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Cognitive therapy involves understanding how the brain can form habits of thoughts and teaches the patient specific strategies to build new habits over time. It provides the patient with things they can do, actions they can take.
Telling someone to cheer up just blames them for their problem.
Consider running a marathon – how is coaching someone to run 27 miles different from telling them to just run 27 miles? A coach provides them with a training schedule, nutritional advice, equipment, and times them running increasing distances to provide helpful feedback on how well they are doing. Just telling them to start running is not at all the same thing.
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