Chapter 15 Dew: Cognitive Psychotherapy

Cognitive Therapy

primary goal is to increase logical thinking by helping clients recognize and revise cognitions that are illogical or irrational

Cognitions

thoughts, beliefs, interpretations, and assumptions that intervene between events and feelings

Automatic Thoughts

cognitions that take place in an instant and without deliberation

Cognitive Restructuring

illogical cognitions are identified, challenged, and eventually replaced with more logical cognitions

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) created by

Albert Ellis

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

Elli’s version of cognitive therapy focused on irrational beliefs and replacing them with more rational alternatives

ABCDE Model

A = activating event

B = belief

C = emotional consequence

D = dispute

E = effective new belief

Dysfunctional Thought Record and who created

Aaron Beck

• event/situation

• automatic thoughts

• emotions

• adaptive response

• outcome

Cognitive Triad

• thoughts about the self

• thoughts about the external world

• thoughts about the future

All-or-nothing thinking

evaluating everything as either wonderful or terrible

Catastrophizing

expecting the worst in the future

Magnification/minimization

making a mountain out of a molehill or playing down positives

Personalization

assuming excessive personal responsibility

Overgeneralization

applying lessons from negative experiences too broadly

Mental Filtering

ignoring positive events while focusing on negative events

Mind Reading

presuming others are thinking critically or disapprovingly

Experiential Avoidance

avoidance of unpleasant inner experiences through distraction or numbing oneself

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

a mindfulness-based therapy focused on accepting internal experiences and committing to personal values

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and created by

Marsha Linehan

borderline personality disorder focused on emotional regulation, validation, mindfulness, and problem solving

Metacognitive Therapy

a therapy focused on thoughts and problematic thinking styles

Albert Ellis created

• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

• created ABCDE model

Aaron Beck

• created Cognitive Therapy

• main goal to increase the extent to which the client thinks logically

Steven C. Hayes

created Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Goal of Cognitive Therapy

• is to increase logical thinking

• cognitive therapists presume that the way we think about events determines the way we respond emotionally

The role of the Cognitive Therapist to fix faulty thinking by:

• identifying illogical cognitions

• challenging illogical cognitions

• replacing them with more logical cognitions

the goal is not unrealistic positivity, but logical reactions that lead to more adaptive, healthy reactions

Use of homework

Cognitive therapists strongly believe that much of the work and progress of therapy happens between sessions

Use of Homework: Clients

• keep record of events

• record cognitions and feelings

• document attempts to revise cognitions

ex: ABCDE forms, dysfunctional thought records, and 5-column though journals

Use of Homework: Behavioral

clients perform behaviors to examine the validity of illogical thought

ex: testing beliefs as hypotheses, responding to online job postings, discussing fears with family members

Purpose of Homework

• identifying irrational beliefs

• dispute irrational thoughts

• generate effective new beliefs

• practice logical thinking

• apply therapy lessons to real life