Cognitive Restructuring as a Therapeutic Technique

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In Dr. Judith Beck’s video on cognitive therapy, she also emphasizes the importance of identifying distortions in the thinking of the clinically depressed. It is a “garbage in, garbage out” syndrome wherein reflexive self-criticisms trigger distorted conclusions. Beck teaches how to build a self-image only after examining actual evidence about people’s talents and abilities, or lack thereof. Depression is best treated when therapist and patient identify and respond to fact-based thoughts and evaluations (Freedomff, 2008).

Dr. Aaron Beck conducted a question and answer session for “CBT and a Triad Model”, a video shot at the Beck Institute’s 2011 workshop for active duty and veteran military. The “triad” consists of the vicious cycle of self-focus, dysfunctional beliefs, and dysfunctional behaviors, all of which contribute to difficulties in recovering from the after-effects of war. Beck emphasizes the importance of relying on facts to overcome habitual, inaccurate self-generated distortions about oneself (Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 2011).

Techniques

Counterfactuals are the belief that, “If A did not happen, then C would not have happened.” For a grieving child, a counterfactual could be: “If I had not gone to summer camp, then daddy would not have gotten sick while I was gone.” Skilled CBT therapists can help clients restructure the false assumptions they made leading up to a loved one’s death. As a result, children are able to shift their focus to coping and healing rather than worrying about how they may have caused it (Butler & Northcut, 2013). A middle-school age child would be capable of understanding the rational that “Daddy did not get sick because you were at summer camp, he got sick because...

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...inical Research. Retrieved from http://www.massgeneral.org/psychiatry/services/child_cbt_home.aspx

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