Pie charts are useful for helping clients understand the various factors contributing to an event or outcomes.
Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
An editable Microsoft PowerPoint version of the resource.
A common cognitive bias is to take an egocentric approach to events. When applied to negative events this can result in an exaggerated sense of responsibility and feelings of guilt or shame. Pie charts are a helpful tool for helping clients to appreciate allocentric contributory factors to an event.
Pie charts are uniquely beneficial in therapy for the following reasons:
To address guilt, shame, or self-blame linked to trauma.
To challenge clients' overestimation of their responsibility.
To reduce self-blame for negative social experiences.
Identify a specific belief or domain where the client's sense of responsibility is distorted.
Ask the client to rate the strength of their associated belief.
Have the client list all possible causes for the event.
Assign 'slices' on the pie chart to each factor.
Following the exercise, review and revise the original belief rating.
Help the client reflect on the exercise and its implications.
Pie charts are a helpful cognitive restructuring tool in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). They are particularly useful for working with problems where a patient has an inflated sense of responsibility. They can help to 'even-out' biased ways of thinking by graphically presenting the client's weighted opinions about contributing factors to a given event.
