The drawback with cognitive therapy is the actual Therapy part. When a person requires cognitive therapy, how can you be certain that the therapist and the program he or she is using will have the ability to modify thinking errors and self-defeating conduct? There are numerous therapists out in the world each with personal explanations and curriculum. Very few if any, are based on fact with sufficient verification that the program they use is proper and helpful.
Almost any counseling program can state that it's cognitive therapy, yet very little, if any, can verify that it works. One might submit that cognitive therapy is misnamed. The definition of "therapy" is the treatment of sickness or disability. The use of cognitive therapy in mental illness is almost completely unproductive as you cannot use cognitive restructuring training on an individual who isn't cognitive. This is also true for kids. Cognitive therapy is unsuccessful on children for an identical reason: they are not cognitive thus far.
The trouble with having therapists assist in cognitive therapy courses is that a large amount therapists are emotionally sick themselves and many live in the box of self-deception. That is, they do not understand that they are sick and hence they give their problems (untruths) to their clients. A plethora of people attend psycho therapists sessions for a long time at a great expense, however, they do not heal and many get worse than they were before. Nevertheless, capable cognitive life skills counselors with good fact based curriculum can aid people in making enduring changes in only hours as opposed to days, months and years. This isn't to imply that all therapists are unsuccessful. The most effective counselors/therapists think positively. Individuals make changes because of truth, not counseling procedures. The truth rings at a frequency that can cut the veil of self-imposed false beliefs and help people get rid of years and years of poor programing. Compare cognitive restructuring life skills VS a clinical approach for cognitive therapy. Watch for fact based cognitive restructuring courses that will supply proof that their system works. Find writers and organizations that have had tons of experience in making and aiding groups. There isn't a book out there that can replace real hands-on experience.