Cognitive Therapy

Outline in notes.

1. Cognitive Therapy
Review outline in notes

2. •The foundation on which cognitive therapy is
established can be identified by the
statement, “Men are disturbed not by things
but by the views which they take of them.”

3. Indications for Cognitive Therapy
•Depression
•Panic disorder
•Generalized anxiety
disorder
•Social phobia
•Obsessive-compulsive
disorder
•Posttraumatic stress
disorder
•Substance abuse
•Personality disorders
•Schizophrenia
•Couple’s problems
•Bipolar disorder
•Hypochondriasis
•Somatoform disorder
•Eating disorders

4. Goals and Principles of Therapy
•The goal of cognitive therapy is for clients to learn to
identify and alter the dysfunctional beliefs that
predispose them to distort experiences.
•Cognitive therapy is highly structured and short-term,
lasting 12 to 16 weeks.
Cognitive therapy
–Is based on an ever-evolving formulation of the client and his or her
problems in cognitive terms
–Requires a sound therapeutic alliance
–Emphasizes collaboration and active participation
–Is goal-oriented and problem-focused
–Initially emphasizes the present

5. Basic Concepts
•“The general thrust of cognitive therapy is
that emotional responses are largely
dependent on cognitive appraisals of the
significance of environmental cues.” (Wright,
Beck, & Thase, 2003)

6. Basic Concepts (cont.)
•Automatic thoughts –
thoughts that occur
rapidly in response to a
situation and without
rational analysis;
sometimes called
cognitive errors
•Some examples are:
–Arbitrary inference
–Overgeneralization
–Dichotomous thinking
–Selective abstraction
–Magnification
–Minimization
–Catastrophic thinking
–Personalization

7. Basic Concepts
•Schemas (core beliefs) –“Cognitive structures that consist of
the individual’s fundamental beliefs and assumptions,
which develop early in life from personal experiences and
identification with significant others. These concepts
are reinforced by further learning experiences and, in turn,
influence the formation of other beliefs, values, and
attitudes.” (Beck & Weishaar, 2005)
–Schemas may be adaptive or maladaptive, general or specific,
and positive or negative.

8. Techniques of Cognitive Therapy
Didactic (Educational) Aspects
•Clients must be prepared to become their own therapist.
•Therapists provides information about cognitive therapy
and provides assignments to reinforce learning.
A full explanation about correlation between distorted
thinking and clients’ mental illness is provided.
Cognitive Techniques
•Recognizing automatic thoughts and schemas
–Socratic questioning, Imagery, Role play and Thought
recording

9. Behavioral Interventions (cont.)
•Distraction
•Relaxation exercises
•Assertiveness training
•Role modeling
•Social skills training
•Thought-stopping techniques