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 Catching Your Thoughts worksheet is designed to help children and young people develop their skills in noticing and recording their automatic thoughts, as well as identifying triggering situations and accompanying emotional reactions.
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Introduction & Theoretical Background
Beck’s cognitive model (Beck et al, 1979) proposes that events are not directly responsible for the way we feel. Rather, it is the interpretation of those events – our appraisals, thoughts, or cognitions – that trigger our emotional responses. The model implies that we can change how we feel by changing how we think. The CBT cognitive model describes different levels of cognition that underpin how we think about ourselves, other people and the world, shaping our interpretation and response to events. Moving from the deepest to the most superficial, these are:
- Core beliefs. These are understood as generalized statements that shape how an individual understands themselves, other people, and the world (e.g. “I’m competent”, “I’m unlovable”, “No one can be trusted”, “The world is dangerous and unpredictable”, “I’m adaptable”).
- Intermediate beliefs. These are understood as a set of assumptions that guide behavior across different situations. They can often be stated in
Therapist Guidance
“We know that ‘what we think and do affects the way we feel’. So, if we want to change the way we feel then it is important that we know what we are thinking. Everyone has hundreds of ‘automatic thoughts’ every day. These are thoughts that just ‘pop’ into your mind. Sometimes they’re helpful, and sometimes they’re not. One good way of catching these automatic thoughts is to use a thought record. This one is called the Catching Your Thoughts form. Would you be willing for me to show you how it works?”
- Trigger. We all have automatic thoughts throughout the day, often without even noticing. A good clue that you have had a negative automatic thought is if you notice a change in how you are feeling. For example, you might suddenly start feeling sad or angry. If that happens, try to fill in this form to record
References And Further Reading
- Beck, A.T. & Beck J.S. (1995). Cognitive Therapy: Basics and Beyond. New York: Guilford.
- Beck, A.T., Rush, A.J., Shaw, B.F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford.