16th May 2023 Newsletter
Welcome to the first newsletter for May 2023!
This edition sees the release of three more resources from our new Cognitive Distortions series: Fortune Telling, Hindsight Bias, and Jumping to Conclusions. Covering 20 of the most clinically-relevant cognitive distortions, this series is designed to help clients and therapists work more effectively with common thinking biases.
In our research roundup, we highlight a paper looking at CBT for avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), and another using a lived-experience perspective to explore adapting CBT for adults with autism.
New Releases
Fortune Telling
‘Fortune telling’ is a cognitive distortion where people predict that certain things are likely to happen without considering other, more likely outcomes. It can lead to the individual framing the future in a positive or negative way and is implicated in a wide range of mental health difficulties.
Hindsight Bias
Once an outcome is known, people with hindsight bias are likely to believe that they predicted (or could have predicted) an outcome that they did not (or could not) predict. Hindsight bias is implicated in a wide range of clinical problems, and several authors propose that this cognitive distortion is a by-product of the human capacity for adaptive learning, or that it results from a ‘need for closure’.
Jumping To Conclusions
Jumping to conclusions (JTC) is a cognitive distortion in which individuals make hasty decisions or reach inaccurate conclusions that are unwarranted by the facts of a situation. Research suggests that JTC is not only common, but becomes more pronounced in stressful conditions.
Latest Research
CBT for Avoidance Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in Children and Young People
This is a wonderful article from Maxine Howard and colleagues at the Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolsecent Eating Disorders. ARFID is a condition characterized by a disturbance in eating behavior, with avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food, low experience of hunger, or concerns about the aversive consequences of eating.
In this study, the authors present an overview of the evidence base for CBT in the treatment of anxiety in children & adolescents. They also review disorder-specific protocols for the treatment of ARFID, explore how to adapt CBT when working with neurodiversity, and present case studies to illustrate the clinical application of CBT with children who have a diagnosis of ARFID.
Howard, M., Hembry, P., Rhind, C., Siddall, A., Uddin, M. F., & Bryant-Waugh, R. (2023). Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) as a psychological intervention in the treatment of ARFID for children and young people. the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 16, e5.
Adapting CBT for Adults with Autism
Many individuals with autism experience mental health difficulties, particularly anxiety and mood disorders. While CBT appears to be an effective therapy for people with autism, adaptations are sometimes needed. In this paper, Simon Riches and colleagues use a lived-experience perspective to explore these challenges and offer practical solutions.
"Such adaptations include meeting needs related to engagement, anxiety, difficulties in communication, emotion recognition and information processing difficulties, and highlight the centrality of the therapeutic relationship when delivering CBT for people with autism. ... Implementing such adaptations is likely to improve therapeutic relationships; and consequently, service users will be more adept at engaging with the specific CBT techniques that comprise the intervention."
Riches, S., Hammond, N., Bianco, M., Fialho, C., & Acland, J. (2023). Adapting cognitive behaviour therapy for adults with autism: a lived experience-led consultation with specialist psychological therapists. the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 16, e13.