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Cognitive Restructuring

At the core of the cognitive model is the assumption that a patient’s appraisals of an event determine their feelings and reactions to it. Cognitive restructuring is an umbrella term that refers to any methods that help people to think differently about an event (which might include any stimulus, thought, memory, or belief). In a broad sense the term ‘cognitive restructuring’ could apply to anything done in (or outside of) a therapy session that promotes cognitive change. In a narrower sense, therapists deliberately use a range of therapeutic approaches designed to promote cognitive restructuring. Leahy and Rego (2012) give a narrow definition of cognitive restructuring as:
“a multistep process that involves: (1) eliciting problematic cognitions known as automatic thoughts or negative automatic thoughts of the self, world, or future, (2) formulating rational responses to these negative automatic thoughts by (3) identifying and removing cognitive distortions found in the automatic thoughts and (4) correcting false beliefs, assumptions, predictions and so on, using a Socratic dialogue.”
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Cognitive Restructuring
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"Should" Statements

“Should” statements (sometimes referred to as ‘musturbation’, ‘necessitous thinking’, ‘self-commands’, and ‘injunctions’) are char ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/should-statements

All-Or-Nothing Thinking

All-or-nothing thinking (often also referred to as ‘black and white thinking’, ‘dichotomous thinking’, ‘absolutist thinking’, or ‘binary ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/all-or-nothing-thinking

Anger Thought Challenging Record

Evaluating and disputing thoughts is a fundamental skill taught by cognitive therapists to their clients. The Anger Thought Challenging Record can hel ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/anger-thought-challenging-record

Anxiety - Self-Monitoring Record

Developing self-monitoring skills teaches clients to systematically observe and record specific targets such as their own thoughts, body feelings, emo ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/anxiety-self-monitoring-record

Arbitrary Inference

Arbitrary inference is one of the earliest and broadest cognitive disotortions described in CBT. Beck defines it as "the process of forming an interpr ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/arbitrary-inference

Barriers Abusers Overcome In Order To Abuse

Individuals who have experienced abuse often focus on their own actions (or inactions) and blame themselves for their own abuse. This client informati ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/barriers-abusers-overcome-in-order-to-abuse

Before I Blame Myself And Feel Guilty

Guilt is a common post-traumatic reaction and is often the result of cognitive bias. This CBT worksheet explores common cognitive biases that have bee ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/before-i-blame-myself-and-feel-guilty

Behavioral Experiment

Behavioral experiments are planned experiential activities to test the validity of a belief. They are one of the most powerful techniques available to ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/behavioral-experiment

Behavioral Experiment (Portrait Format)

Behavioral experiments allow individuals to test the validity of their beliefs and assumptions. They are a core experiential technique for therapeutic ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/behavioral-experiment-portrait-format

Belief-O-Meter (CYP)

The Belief-O-Meter is an engaging way of helping children and adolescents to relate to their thoughts differently. It is a form of cognitive restructu ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/belief-o-meter-cyp

Catastrophizing

The Catastrophizing information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series. It is designed to help clients and therapists to work more eff ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/catastrophizing

Catching Your Thoughts (CYP)

Before thoughts can be examined or challenged they must be ‘caught’ – they must be noticed and distinguished from events and feelings. The Catch ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/catching-your-thoughts-cyp

CBT Appraisal Model

The CBT Appraisal Model worksheet is a transdiagnostic formulation tool. The centrality of appraisals underpins all of the disorder-specific cognitive ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/cbt-appraisal-model

CBT Thought Record Portrait

The CBT Thought Record is an essential tool in cognitive behavioral therapy. Thought challenging records help people to evaluate their negative automa ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/cbt-thought-record-portrait

Challenging Your Negative Thinking (Archived)

NOTE: An improved version of this resource is available here: Evaluating Unhelpful Automatic Thoughts. Older versions of a resource may be archived in ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/challenging-your-negative-thinking

Cognitive Distortions – Unhelpful Thinking Styles (Common)

Cognitive distortions (or ‘unhelpful thinking styles’) are ways that our thoughts become biased. Different cognitive biases are associated with di ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/cognitive-distortions-unhelpful-thinking-styles-common

Cognitive Distortions – Unhelpful Thinking Styles (Extended)

Cognitive distortions (or ‘unhelpful thinking styles’) are ways that our thoughts become biased. Different cognitive biases are associated with di ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/cognitive-distortions-unhelpful-thinking-styles-extended

Compassionate Thought Challenging Record

Thought challenging records are commonly used in CBT to help people to evaluate their negative automatic thoughts for accuracy and bias. This Compassi ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/compassionate-thought-challenging-record

Court Trial Thought Challenging Record (Archived)

NOTE: An improved version of this resource is available here: Thought Record - Courtroom Trial. Older versions of a resource may be archived in the ev ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/court-trial-thought-challenging-record

Decatastrophizing

Catastrophic thinking (magnification) is characteristic of many anxiety problems. This CBT worksheet for decatastrophizing is a tool for cognitive res ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/decatastrophizing

Demanding Standards – Living Well With Your Personal Rules

Demanding Standards – Living Well With Your Personal Rules is a guide written for clients who have high or perfectionistic standards which cause th ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/demanding-standards-living-well-with-your-personal-rules

Disqualifying Others

This Disqualifying Others information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more eff ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/disqualifying-others

Disqualifying The Positive

This Disqualifying the Positive information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists work more ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/disqualifying-the-positive

Dysfunctional Thought Record

The Dysfunctional Thought Record is a worksheet to record and challenge dysfunctional thoughts. It encourages clients to identify the involvement of a ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/dysfunctional-thought-record

Emotional Reasoning

The Emotional Reasoning information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effec ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/emotional-reasoning

Evaluating Unhelpful Automatic Thoughts

The Evaluating Unhelpful Automatic Thoughts guide is written for clients who struggle with negative automatic thoughts. It provides a comprehensive in ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/evaluating-unhelpful-automatic-thoughts

Evaluating Your Demanding Standards

Striving to meet demanding standards can be a rewarding process and lead to significant gains. However, demanding standards can also have adverse cons ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/evaluating-your-demanding-standards

Examining Your Negative Thoughts

Cognitive restructuring is an evidence-based intervention that involves identifying, evaluating, and modifying maladaptive cognitions, including negat ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/examining-your-negative-thoughts

Externalizing

The Externalizing information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effectively ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/externalizing

Fact Or Opinion

One cognitive error which commonly results in distress is to act on our opinions as though they were facts. This CBT exercise helps clients to practic ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/fact-or-opinion

Fortune Telling

The Fortune Telling information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effective ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/fortune-telling

Health Anxiety Thought Record

Individuals with health anxiety experience clinically significant distress associated with health concerns. This thought-challenging record enables cl ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/health-anxiety-thought-record

Hindsight Bias

Hindsight bias describes the tendency that people have – once an outcome is known – to believe that they predicted (or could have predicted) an ou ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/hindsight-bias

Hindsight Bias (Archived)

Survivors of loss or trauma often think "If only …". Hindsight Bias is a cognitive bias / cognitive illusion which makes events seem more predictabl ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/hindsight-bias-archived

Hotspot Record

Enhanced 'reliving' in trauma-focused CBT for PTSD involves addressing the meaning associated with 'hot spots' of traumatic memory. This Hotspot Recor ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/hotspot-record

Identifying Your Demanding Standards

Striving to meet demanding standards can be a rewarding process and lead to significant gains (e.g., praise, social status, financial rewards, etc.). ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/identifying-your-demanding-standards

Interoceptive Exposure

Misappraisals of body sensations trigger emotional and physiological reactions of fear and heightened arousal. These feelings motivate behavioral resp ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/interoceptive-exposure

Interpersonal Beliefs And Styles

Interpersonal issues and relationship problems form an important part of what clients bring to therapy: they might present as clients’ current conce ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/interpersonal-beliefs-and-styles

Intrusive Thoughts Images And Impulses

Intrusive Thoughts, Images, And Impulses that are experienced as distressing are a feature of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). They are also a com ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/intrusive-thoughts-images-and-impulses

Jumping To Conclusions

The Jumping to Conclusions information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more ef ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/jumping-to-conclusions

Managing Social Anxiety (Third Edition): Therapist Guide

Managing Social Anxiety – A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach comes in two volumes. This page is for the Therapist Guide. Click on the following ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/managing-social-anxiety-therapist-guide

Managing Social Anxiety (Third Edition): Workbook

Managing Social Anxiety – A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach comes in two volumes. This page is for the Workbook. Click on the following link t ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/managing-social-anxiety-workbook

Managing Substance Use Disorder (Third Edition): Practitioner Guide

Managing Substance Use Disorder comes in two volumes. This page is for the Practitioner Guide. Click on the following link to access the Workbook.&nbs ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/managing-substance-use-disorder-practitioner-guide

Mastery Of Your Anxiety And Panic (Fifth Edition): Therapist Guide

Mastery Of Your Anxiety And Panic comes in two volumes. This page is for the Therapist Guide. Click on the following link to access the accompanying C ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/mastery-of-your-anxiety-and-panic-therapist-guide

Mastery Of Your Anxiety And Panic (Fifth Edition): Workbook

Mastery Of Your Anxiety And Panic comes in two volumes. This page is for the Workbook. Click on the following link to access the accompanying Therapis ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/mastery-of-your-anxiety-and-panic-workbook

Mastery Of Your Anxiety And Worry (Second Edition): Therapist Guide

Mastery Of Your Anxiety And Worry comes in two volumes. This page is for the Therapist Guide. Click on the following link to access the accompanying W ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/mastery-of-your-anxiety-and-worry-therapist-guide

Mastery Of Your Anxiety And Worry (Second Edition): Workbook

Mastery Of Your Anxiety And Worry comes in two volumes. This page is for the Workbook. Click on the following link to access the accompanying Therapis ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/mastery-of-your-anxiety-and-worry-workbook

Meaning In Tinnitus

The psychological approach to tinnitus proposes that it is the meaning attached to perceptions which gives rise to distress - this is similar to the a ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/meaning-in-tinnitus

Mind Reading

The Mind Reading information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effectively ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/mind-reading

Modifying Rules And Assumptions

Assumptions are often considered dysfunctional if they are inflexible, rigid, or lead to counterproductive behaviors. Modifying Rules And Assumptions ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/modifying-rules-and-assumptions

Nightmare Exposure And Rescripting

Imagery rescripting is an effective treatment for intrusive and unwanted memories. Nightmare Exposure And Rescripting employs similar techniques and c ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/nightmare-exposure-and-rescripting

Nightmare Rescripting (Audio)

Nightmare rescripting is an evidence based treatment for nightmares, with medium to large effect sizes on nightmare frequency, distress, intensity, an ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/nightmare-rescripting-audio

Overcoming Depression (Second Edition): Therapist Guide

Overcoming Depression – A Cognitive Therapy Approach comes in two volumes. This page is for the Therapist Guide. Click on the following link to acce ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/overcoming-depression-therapist-guide

Overcoming Depression (Second Edition): Workbook

Overcoming Depression – A Cognitive Therapy Approach comes in two volumes. This page is for the Client Workbook. Click on the following link to acce ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/overcoming-depression-workbook

Overcoming Eating Disorders (Second Edition): Therapist Guide

Overcoming Eating Disorders comes in two volumes. This page is for the Therapist Guide. Click on the following link to access the Client Workbook.&nbs ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/overcoming-eating-disorders-therapist-guide

Overcoming Insomnia (Second Edition): Therapist Guide

Overcoming Insomnia comes in two volumes. This page is for the Therapist Guide. Click on the following link to access the Client Workbook. It is ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/overcoming-insomnia-therapist-guide

Overcoming Insomnia (Second Edition): Workbook

Overcoming Insomnia comes in two volumes. This page is for the Client Workbook. Click on the following link to access the accompanying Therapist Guide ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/overcoming-insomnia-workbook

Overcoming Your Eating Disorder: Workbook

Overcoming Eating Disorders comes in two volumes. This page is for the Client Workbook. Click on the following link to access the accompanying Therapi ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/overcoming-your-eating-disorder-workbook

Overgeneralization

The Overgeneralization information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effect ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/overgeneralization

Permissive Thinking

The Permissive Thinking information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effec ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/permissive-thinking

Personalizing

The Personalizing information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effectively ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/personalizing

Perspective-Taking

Cognitive restructuring techniques in CBT teach clients ways of analyzing situations in ways that might initially be unfamiliar. A simple way of intro ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/perspective-taking

Pie Charts (Archived)

NOTE: An improved version of this resource is available here: Responsibility Pie Chart. Older versions of a resource may be archived in the event ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/pie-charts-archived

Positive Belief Record

Some cognitive change can happen quickly - for example challenging negative automatic thoughts. Other cognitive structures such as schemas are more de ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/positive-belief-record

Prolonged Exposure Therapy For PTSD (Second Edition): Therapist Guide

Prolonged Exposure Therapy For PTSD comes in two volumes. This page is for the Therapist Guide. Click on the following link to access the accompanying ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/prolonged-exposure-therapy-for-ptsd-therapist-guide

Prompts For Challenging Negative Thinking (Archived)

NOTE: An improved version of this resource is available here: Prompts For Challenging Negative Thinking. Older versions of a resource may be arch ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/prompts-for-challenging-negative-thinking-archived

Prompts For Challenging Your Negative Thinking

Cognitive restructuring is an evidence-based intervention that involves identifying, evaluating, and modifying maladaptive cognitions, including negat ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/prompts-for-challenging-your-negative-thinking

Reciprocal CBT Formulation

CBT therapists often describe finding it difficult to apply CBT skills when clients bring relational problems to therapy. Familiar methods of visu ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/reciprocal-cbt-formulation

Reclaiming Your Life From A Traumatic Experience (Second Edition): Workbook

Prolonged Exposure Therapy For PTSD comes in two volumes. This page is for the Client Workbook. Click on the following link to access the accompanying ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/reclaiming-your-life-from-a-traumatic-experience-workbook

Responsibility Pie Chart

The Responsibility Pie Chart exercise is designed to guide clients through the process of clarifying and re-evaluating their responsibility for negati ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/responsibility-pie-chart

Schema Bias

Core beliefs (schemas) are self-sustaining. They act to 'attract' confirmatory evidence and 'repel' or 'distort' disconfirmatory evidence. This inform ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/schema-bias

Self Critical Thought Challenging Record

Disputing thoughts is a critical skill in cognitive therapy. The Self-Critical Thought Challenging Record helps clients to identify and challenge thei ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/self-critical-thought-challenging-record

Self-Blame

The Self-Blame information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effectively wi ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/self-blame

Simple Thought Challenging Record

Disputing thoughts is a critical skill in cognitive therapy. The Simple Thought Challenging Record encourages clients to identify alternative perspect ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/simple-thought-challenging-record

Social Comparison

The Social Comparison information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effecti ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/social-comparison

Stimulus Discrimination

Stimulus discrimination is a component of cognitive behavioral treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Clients are guided to deliberately ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/stimulus-discrimination

Stimulus Discrimination (Audio)

The Stimulus Discrimination audio exercise is taken from the Psychology Tools For Overcoming PTSD Audio Collection. It is designed to help people with ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/stimulus-discrimination-audio

Taking Panic Out Of The Body

A critical driver of panic reactions is catastrophic misinterpretation of body sensations. This worksheet helps therapists to teach clients about the ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/taking-panic-out-of-the-body

Testing Anxious And Panicky Predictions (Psychology Tools For Overcoming Panic)

Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to this common anxiety problem. This chapter introduces beh ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/testing-anxious-and-panicky-predictions-psychology-tools-for-overcoming-panic

Theory A / Theory B

Human beings actively try to understand their world and what happens to them. However, these understanding can be inaccurate or unhelpful. Worse, unhe ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/theorya-theoryb

Theory A / Theory B (Archived)

NOTE: An improved version of this resource is available here: Theory A / Theory B . Older versions of a resource may be archived in the event that the ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/theorya-theoryb-edition-1

Thought Distortion Monitoring Record

Thinking is often biased in particular ways and individuals often have their own characteristic patterns of bias. The Thought Distortion Monitoring Re ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thought-distortion-monitoring-record

Thought Record – Courtroom Trial

Thought records are commonly used in CBT to help people to evaluate their negative automatic thoughts for accuracy and bias. The Thought Record – Co ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thought-record-courtroom-trial

Thought Record (Considered Response)

Thought records exist in multiple variants, depending on the needs and abilities of the client. This Thought Record (Considered Response) is a cogniti ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thought-record-considered-response

Thought Record (Evidence For And Against)

CBT Thought Records exist in multiple variants, depending on the needs and abilities of the client. This Thought Record (Evidence For And Against) is ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thought-record-evidence-for-and-against

Thought-Action Fusion

The Thought-Action Fusion information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more eff ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thought-action-fusion

Thoughts In CBT (Psychology Tools For Living Well)

Cognitive behavioral therapy can help your clients to live happier and more fulfilling lives. Psychology Tools for Living Well is a self-help course ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thoughts-in-cbt-psychology-tools-for-living-well

Treating Your OCD With Exposure And Response (Ritual) Prevention (Second Edition): Workbook

Exposure and Response (Ritual) Prevention for Obessssive-Compulsive Disorder comes in two volumes. This page is for the Client Workbook. Click on the ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/treating-your-ocd-with-exposure-and-response-ritual-prevention-workbook

Uncovering Your Deeper Beliefs

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) describes three levels of cognition: automatic thoughts, assumptions, and core beliefs. While CBT therapists do not ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/uncovering-your-deeper-beliefs

Unhelpful Thinking Styles (Archived)

NOTE: Two improved versions of this resource are available here: Cognitive Distortions – Unhelpful Thinking Styles (Common) and Cognitive Disto ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/unhelpful-thinking-styles-archived

Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (Second Edition): Client Workbook

The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (Second Edition) comes in two volumes. This page is for the Client Workbook. ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/unified-protocol-for-transdiagnostic-treatment-of-emotional-disorders-second-edition-client-workbook

Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (Second Edition): Therapist Guide

The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (Second Edition) comes in two volumes. This page is for the Therapist Guide. ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/unified-protocol-for-transdiagnostic-treatment-of-emotional-disorders-second-edition-therapist-guide

Vicious Flower Formulation

Case conceptualizations (formulations) are designed to help clients and therapists come to a shared understanding of a problem. The 'vicious flower' a ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/vicious-flower-formulation

What If

"What if...?" questions are a powerful way in which anxious individuals generate or maintain anxious states, particularly in generalized anxiety disor ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-if

Working With Anxious Thoughts And Predictions (Psychology Tools For Overcoming Panic)

Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to this common anxiety problem. This chapter introduces the ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/working-with-anxious-thoughts-and-predictions-psychology-tools-for-overcoming-panic

Worry Thought Record

Anxiety stems from negative predictions about the future (and also from assumptions that one will not be able to cope with the magnitude of the threat ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/worry-thought-record

Links to external resources

Psychology Tools makes every effort to check external links and review their content. However, we are not responsible for the quality or content of external links and cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time.

Information Handouts

Information (Professional)

Websites

Recommended Reading

  • Schema change processes in cognitive therapy | Padesky | 1994
  • Bouchard, S., Gauthier, J., Laberge, B., French, D., Pelletier, M. H., & Godbout, C. (1996). Exposure versus cognitive restructuring in the treatment of panic disorder with agoraphobia.Behaviour Research and Therapy,34(3), 213-224.
  • Bryant, R. A., Moulds, M. L., Guthrie, R. M., Dang, S. T., & Nixon, R. D. (2003). Imaginal exposure alone and imaginal exposure with cognitive restructuring in treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.Journal of consulting and clinical psychology,71(4), 706. archive.org

What Is Cognitive Restructuring?

Techniques for Cognitive Restructuring

  • Behavioral experiments (including hypothesis testing and surveys) have been a fundamental CBT technique since the publication of the first treatment manual: “a powerful method with which to investigate the validity of a specific assumption consists of designing an experiment or task to test the assumption empirically” (Beck et al., 1979). Bennett-Levy et al. (2004) define behavioral experiments as:

“planned experiential activities, based on experimentation or observation, which are undertaken by patients in or between cognitive therapy sessions … their primary purpose is to obtain new information which may help to: test the validity of the patients’ existing beliefs …; construct and/or test new, more adaptive beliefs; contribute to the development and verification of the cognitive formulation.”

  • Examining and reality-testing automatic thoughts and images, popularly known as ‘thought challenging’ or ‘disputing thoughts’ is a technique by which patients are encouraged to examine the accuracy of and validity of their negative automatic thoughts and images.
  • Psychoeducation in therapy refers to information-giving. Many patients experience psychological distress because they lack critical information. Information can be given directly in the form of handouts or reading, or indirectly in the form of information-gathering exercises.
  • Socratic dialogue is “a method of guided discovery in which the therapist asks a series of carefully sequenced questions to help define problems, assist in the identification of thoughts and beliefs, examine the meaning of events, or assess the ramifications of particular thoughts or behaviors” (Beck & Dozois, 2011). The Socratic method can help patients to reflect upon how they think and the assumptions they make, and can promote cognitive change.

References

  • Beck, A. T., & Dozois, D. J. (2011). Cognitive therapy: Current status and future directions. Annual Review of Medicine, 62, 397–409.
  • Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford Press.
  • Bennett-Levy, J., Butler, G., Fennell, M., Hackmann, A., Mueller, M., & Westbrook, D. (2004). Oxford guide to behaviouralexperiments in cognitive therapy. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Leahy, R. L., & Rego, S. A. (2012). Cognitive restructuring. In W. T. O’Donohue & J. E. Fisher (Eds.), Cognitive behavior therapy: Core principles for practice(pp. 113–158). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.