Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Question 1

CBT approaches share the same characteristics and assumptions as the traditional behavioural approaches outlined above. In addition to the following:

Answer 1

• 1. A collaborative relationship between the client and therapist.
     
     • 2. The premise that psychological distress is largely a result of disturbances in cognitive processes.
     • 3. A focus on changing cognitions to produce desired changes in affect and behaviour.
     • 4. A person-centred, time-limited focus.
     • 5. An active and directive stance by the therapist.
     • 6. An educational treatment focusing on specific and structured target problems.

Question 2

Cognitive restructuring

Answer 2

is a central technique of cognitive therapy that teaches people how to improve themselves by replacing irrational beliefs with rational beliefs.

Question 3

The therapeutic goals of REBT

Answer 3

Most rational emotive behaviour therapists have the general goal of teaching clients how to seperate the evaluation of their behaviours from the evaluation of themselves - their essence and their totality - and how to accept themselves in spite of their imperfections .

Question 4

Homework

Answer 4

Is carefully designed and agreed upon and is aimed at getting clients to carry out positive actions that induce emotional and attitudinal change.

Question 5

Rational emotive imagery (REI)

Answer 5

Clients are asked to void imagine one of the worst things that might happen to them. Healthy responses are taught instead of disruptive ones. Needs to be practiced regularly.

Question 6

Shame-attacking exercises

Answer 6

The rationale underlying shame attacking-exercises is that emotional disturbance related to the self is often characterised by feelings of shame guilt, anxiety, and depression.

• It is not catastrophic if someone thinks we are foolish.
• Aimed at increasing self-acceptance and mature responsibility.
• People are encouraged to do something foolish or out of the ordinary - helping us to realise that most people are not really that interested in our behaviour.

Question 7

Cognitive Therapy (CT)

Answer 7

Was developed as a result of research into depression.

• Beck observed that depressed patients had a negative bias in their interpretation of certain life events, which contributed to cognitive distortions.
  
  • Faulty thinking
  • making incorrect inferences
  • failing to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
  • The way people feel and behave is influenced by how people perceive ad structure their experience.

Question 8

The theoretical assumptions of CT are:

Answer 8

• 1. The peoples internal communication is accessible to introspection.
• 2. That clients beliefs have highly personal meanings.
• 3. That these meanings can be discovered by the client rather than being taught or interpreted by the therapist.

Question 9

Cognitive distortions

Answer 9

• Arbitrary inferences - making conclusions without supporting and relevant evidence. Catastrophizing. Thinking the absolute worst.
• Selective abstraction - Forming conclusions based on an isolated detail of an event.
• Overgeneralizaion - Holding extreme beliefs on the basis of a single incident and applying them inappropriately to dissimilar events or settings.
• Magnification and Minimisation - Perceiving a case or situation in a greater or lesser light than it deserves.
• Personalisation - Relating external events to themselves , even when there is no basis for making this connection.
• Labeling and Mislabeling - Portraying ones identity on the basis of imperfections an mistakes made in the past and allowing them to define ones true identity.
• Dichotomous thinking - Categorising experiences in either-or extremes.

Question 10

Arbitrary inferences

Answer 10

Making conclusions without supporting and relevant evidence. Catastrophizing. Thinking the absolute worst.

Question 11

Selective abstraction

Answer 11

Forming conclusions based on an isolated detail of an event.

Question 12

Overgeneralizaion

Answer 12

Holding extreme beliefs on the basis of a single incident and applying them inappropriately to dissimilar events or settings.

Question 13

Magnification and Minimisation

Answer 13

Perceiving a case or situation in a greater or lesser light than it deserves.

Question 14

Personalisation

Answer 14

Relating external events to themselves , even when there is no basis for making this connection.

Question 15

Labelling and Mislabeling

Answer 15

Portraying ones identity on the basis of imperfections an mistakes made in the past and allowing them to define ones true identity.

Question 16

Dichotomous thinking

Answer 16

Categorising experiences in either-or extremes.

Question 17

Some Differences Between CT and REBT

Answer 17

• In both CT and REBT reality training is highly organised.
  - REBT is often highly directive, persuasive, and confrontational.
  - Focus on the teaching role of the therapist.
  - CT on the other hand uses socratic dialogue and open ended questions to explore the nature of the irrational thinking. Getting clients to reflect and come to their own conclusions.
  - CT places more emphasis on helping clients come to conclusions themselves.
  - Collaborative empiricism - The cognitive therapist assists the client in testing the validity of their cognitions.
  - Ellis and Beck also differed on how they views faulty thinking.
  - Ellis - irrational.
  - Beck - inaccurate.

Question 18

Schema

Answer 18

Core beliefs. A critical part of the theraputic process is restructuring distorted schema.

Question 19

Cognitive Behaviour Modification (CBM)

Answer 19

• Focuses on chaining the clients self-verbalisations.
  
  • Combines the best elements of behaviour therapy and cognitive therapy.
  • Distressing emotions are a result of maladaptive thoughts. A view shared with both REBT and CT.

Question 20

Stress Inoculation Training (SIT)

Answer 20

A particular application of coping skills and stress management techniques. Individuals are given opportunities to deal with relatively mild stress stimuli in successful ways, so that they gradually develop a tolerance for stronger stimuli.

Question 21

Relapse Prevention

Answer 21

Procedures for dealing with the inevitable setback clients are likely to experience as they apply what they have learned to daily life.

Question 22

Constructivist Narrative Perspective (CNP)

Answer 22

Focuses on the stories people tell about themselves and others regarding significant events in their lives.