Overview of CBT Flashcards
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What is the main focus of CBT?
Looking at problems in the present - instilling a sense of hope and control over your own life
Changing unhelpful ways of thinking and behaving so they can have an enduring positive impact on their mood and functioning themselves
Developing some coping mechanisms can be applied and improved upon in multiple circumstances, even after therapy is over (the Sleeper Effect)
Doesn’t ignore developmental origins (as understanding some of these will inform the understanding of the automatic thoughts etc.) but isn’t of primary importance
What are some advantages of CBT?
Skills learned extend their use beyond the therapeutic scenario, for the rest of the persons life if they need
Well researched and shown to be effective across multiple different disorders (e.g. anxiety, depression, eating disorders etc.) + physical disorders with prominent psychological components (e.g. migraine headaches, terminal cancer, functional disorders)
Can be manualised e.g. a protocol can be written, tailored to a specific patient group, and taught to and delivered by therapists with more general training
What are some disadvantages of CBT?
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What is the difference between thoughts and emotions?
Thoughts = ideas, usually expressed in several/many words
Emotions = feelings, that can be expressed in one word
Sometimes thoughts can masquerade as emotions e.g. “I feel like it’s so unfair” - if you want someone to explore how they are actually feeling, you might follow it with “so how did that thought make you make you feel emotionally?”
What does the ‘Cognitive Model’ involve?
Situation -> automatic thoughts -> reactions (emotional/physiological/behavioural)
This informs the delivery of CBT - change the automatic thoughts, change the ways of feeling and being in the world
What are automatic thoughts?
Thoughts that arise in our minds spontaneously, without conscious effort
Most of the time we’re not aware of our automatic thoughts - instead we are more likely to notice a change in our reactions e.g. engaging in an unhelpful behaviour, feeling more tense etc.
Multiple different automatic thoughts can lead to the same reaction, or to different actions
Automatic thoughts can lead to reactions which lead to more automatic thoughts about the reaction (and so on)
Can be in reference to a situation happening right now, or imminently
Can be ruminant over the past or involve making negative predictions
Can be about a situation, their thoughts, feelings or behaviours
Some of these automatic thoughts are actually images
“People’s reactions always make sense once you understand what they were thinking”
What do you focus on when assessing the automatic thoughts in depression?
Looks at cognitions about:
The self
The world
The future
What do you focus on when assessing the automatic thoughts in panic disorder?
Thoughts of:
Catastrophe that the client is afraid will happen if a symptom gets worse
e.g. “my chest feels tight, im having trouble breathing - it measn iI’m having a heart attack”
What do you focus on when assessing the automatic thoughts in obsessive compulsive disorder?
We tend not to focus on the automatic thoughts themselves, instead focusing on the beliefs about their obsessive thinking and their compulsive behaviours
What are core beliefs?
People’s most basic understandings about:
- Themselves
- Their worlds
- Other people
They are filters/lenses with will affect how you perceive the world at the deepest level
They might be unconscious (if not reflected on in therapy) and difficult to shake/change
What happens to core beliefs in mental illness?
They are highly dysfunctional
- Negative
- Rigid
- Overgeneralised
Tend to fall into 3 categories: - Helplessness - Unlovability - Worthlessness The inverse of these three is true in mental wellness
People with ‘personality disorders’ may have long lasting dysfunctional core beliefs, but for people who are typically mentally well then experience an episode of mental unwellness - there is a change from positive/adaptive core beliefs to dysfunctional
What are some examples of ‘unlovability’ core beliefs?
"I dont fit in" "I'm unloveable" "I'm worthless" "I have nothing to offer other people" "I'll be rejected" "I'll be abandoned"
What are some examples of ‘helplessness’ core beliefs?
3x subcategories:
Ineffective in getting things done-
“I’m incapable”
“I’m helpless”
“I can’t do anything right”
Ineffective in being able to protect themselves (emotionally or physically) - "I'm vulnerable" "I'm powerless" "I'm weak" "I'm out of control"
Ineffective as compared to other people -
“I don’t measure up”
“I’m a failure”
“I’m not as good as other people in terms of achievement”
What are some examples of ‘worthlessness’ core beliefs?
Not like they are worthless in comparison to others, but instead they are morally bad - there is something inside them that is fundamentally awful
“I’m bad”
“I’m worthless”
“I’m evil/toxic”
“I’m a danger to other people”
