Cognitive Distortions – Self-Monitoring Record

What is self-monitoring?

Self-monitoring functions as both an assessment method and an intervention (Korotitsch & Nelson-Gray, 1999; Proudfoot & Nicholas, 2010). Routinely used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), it contributes to a wide variety of evidence-based treatments (Persons, 2008; Korotitsch & Nelson-Gray, 1999). It is comprised of two parts (Korotitsch & Nelson-Gray, 1999):

• Discrimination consists of identifying and noticing the target phenomena. This can be challenging for clients. It may be the first time that they have brought attention and awareness to their symptoms, thoughts and emotions, and some clients might express concern about ‘doing it right’. Therapists can simplify the exercise by asking the client to record only whether the targets are present or absent, or by varying the questions they use to probe these thoughts and feelings. For example, instead of focusing on more difficult-to-capture thoughts and mental images, clients might be instructed to monitor more salient body sensations or

"A great way of finding out more about how your daily experience influence your mood is to use a self-monitoring record. It’s like a diary that lets you record when problems happen, and any important details which could help us understand more about how your anxiety works. This one pays particular attention to your automatic thoughts and the ways that your thoughts can become biased or distorted. Would you be willing to go through one with me now?"

Step 1: Psychoeducation about distortions

When clients understand the names and definitions of various distortions, it becomes easier to notice them in real time. Accordingly, it is worth providing psychoeducation before clients begin self-monitoring for cognitive distortions. This might include:

• Introducing common distortions such as catastrophizing (expecting the worst), mind reading (assuming one knows what others think), or overgeneralizing (drawing sweeping conclusions from a single event).
• Providing examples of each distortion from everyday life and reflecting

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• Persons, J.B. (2008) The Case Formulation Approach to Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. Guilford