Group Therapy primary purpose
The primary purpose of group therapy is to facilitate changes by the patient to address identified problems.
A technique for dealing with an over talkative client and silence from other participants in a group during therapy
make an observation about the group’s silence and invite the others to comment
the technique of “Information Giver”.
During group members sharing methods they personally use for dealing with problems
CBT
consists of active questioning, homework assignments, and dream survey. The therapist helps the patient consider personal ideas and beliefs in order to increase the patient’s realization about how thoughts influence behaviors.
Attachment
Attempts to explain the dynamics of interpersonal relationships between humans. A child needs to form a relationship between at least one primary caregiver.
Mileu
Milieu therapy requires consideration of the client’s social, economic, and cultural status.
Complementary Alternative Medicine vs Western major difference
Western medicine focuses on what is done to the patient whereas CAM focuses on mind-body interactions.
Beck
Beck developed the cognitive model of depression and the concept that cognitive processing distortions underlie psychological disorders
ACTIVE, TIME-LIMITED APPROACH
depression can be understood via schemas:
Beck;
cognitive errors, and the cognitive triad (i.e., negative views of self, tendency toward interpreting experiences in a negative manner, and holding negative views of the future).
Beck assumption
Distorted thinking contributes to and maintains bheavior (symptoms)
Ellis
RET (Rational Emotive Therapy) a form of cbt
ret
unrealistic and irrational beliefs cause many emotional problems. The purpose of RET is to identify an irrational belief and dispute it through active, philosophical, confrontational therapy.
RET assumption
People make themselves sick anytime they escalate a desire or preference into a demand or absolute must. (People become who they become based on their beliefs).
Skinner
operant conditioning
Operant conditioning
voluntary behaviors are learned through consequences, and behavioral responses are elicited through reinforcement, which causes a behavior to occur more frequently. Positive reinforcement- getting a gift, or negative reinforcement- removal of objectionable’ or aversive stimulus
Skinner
Absence of reinforcement, or extinction, also decreases behavior by withholding a reward that has become habitual. Teachers employ this strategy in the classroom when they ignore acting-out behavior that had previously been rewarded by more attention.
Skinner’s behavior model provides a concrete method for modifying or replacing behaviors. Behavior management and modification programs based on his principles have shown to be successful in altering targeted behaviors. Programmed learning and token economies represent extensions of Skinner’s thoughts on learning. Behavioral methods are particularly effective with children, adolescents, and individuals with many forms of chronic mental illness.
Universality
Yaslom: The recognition of shared experiences and feelings among group members and that these may be widespread or universal human concerns, serves to remove a group member’s sense of isolation, validate their experiences, and raise self-esteem.
Altruism
Yaslom: The group is a place where members can help each other, and the experience of being able to give something to another person can lift the member’s self esteem and help develop more adaptive coping styles and interpersonal skills.
Instillation of hope
Yaslom: In a mixed group that has members at various stages of development or recovery, a member can be inspired and encouraged by another member who has overcome the problems with which they are still struggling.
Imparting information
Yaslom: While this is not strictly speaking a psychotherapeutic process, members often report that it has been very helpful to learn factual information from other members in the group, for example, about their treatment or about access to services.
Corrective recapitulation of primary family experience
Yaslom: Members often unconsciously identify the group therapist and other group members with their own parents and siblings in a process that is a form of transference specific to group psychotherapy. The therapist’s interpretations can help group members gain understanding of the impact of childhood experiences on their personality, and they may learn to avoid unconsciously repeating unhelpful past interactive patterns in present-day relationships.
Development of socializing techniques
Yaslom: The group setting provides a safe and supportive environment for members to take risks by extending their repertoire of interpersonal behavior and improving their social skills.
Imitative behavior
Yaslom: One way in which group members can develop social skills is through a modeling process, observing and imitating the therapist and other group members. For example, sharing personal feelings, showing concern, and supporting others.
Cohesiveness
Yaslom: Is the primary therapeutic factor from which all others flow. Humans are herd animals with an instinctive need to belong to groups, and personal development can only take place in an interpersonal context. A cohesive group is one in which all members feel a sense of belonging, acceptance, and validation.
Existential factors
Yaslom: Learning that one has to take responsibility for one’s own life and the consequences of one’s decisions
Catharsis
Yaslom: The experience of relief from emotional distress through the free and uninhibited expression of emotion. When members tell their story to a supportive audience, they can obtain relief from chronic feelings of shame and guilt. We refer to catharsis as “getting things off our chest.”
Interpersonal learning
Yaslom: Group members achieve a greater level of self-awareness through the process of interacting with others in the group, who give feedback on the member’s behavior and impact on others
Self-understaning
Yaslom: This factor overlaps with interpersonal learning but refers to the achievement of greater levels of insight into the genesis of one’s problems and the unconscious motivations that underlie one’s behavior.
Autocratic leader
exerts control over the group and does not encourage much interaction among members. For example, staff leading a community meeting with a fixed, time-limited agenda may tend to be more autocratic
Democratic leader
supports extensive group interaction in the process of problem solving. Psychotherapy groups most often employ this leadership style
Laissez-faire leader
allows the group members to behave in any way they choose and does not attempt to control the direction of the group. In a creative group, such as an art group, the leader may choose this style of leadership, giving minimal direction to allow for a variety of responses
Primary purpose of group therapy
(1) human beings are social animals, and (2) that we heal in community. This is why group therapy is so efficacious. This correlated to Maslow’s third level in his hierarchy of needs; the need for love and belonging.
People benefit by both giving and receiving feedback
Role of Information giver in a group session
Shares facts or own experience as an authority figure
Characteristics of an effective leader
In any group, the leader must be thoughtful about communication techniques, since these have a tremendous impact on group content and process.
Mileu therapy benefit
It is an all-inclusive term that recognizes the people, setting, structure, and emotional climate as all important to healing
Milieu therapy takes naturally occurring events in the environment and uses them as rich learning opportunities for clients.
therapuetic community
A well-managed milieu offers clients a sense of security and comfort.
Milieu benefit to sexual disorders
Individuals with paraphilias tend to isolate themselves. Group therapy can offer no more isolation
Milieu benefit eating disorder
including normalization of eating. The highly structures milieu includes precise meal times, adherence to the selected menus, observation during and after meals, and regularly scheduled weighing
Milieu benefit schitzophrenic
(1) protection from stressful or disruptive environments and
(2) structure
Milieu benefit bipolar
Seclusion room- comfort and relief for those that are out of control.
Reduces overwhelming environmental stimuli
Protects a client form injuring self, others, or staff
Prevents destruction of personal property or property of others
Milieu benefit depression
The client with depression needs protection from suicidal acts and a supervised environment for regulating treatments. Often, being removed from a stressful interpersonal situation increases therapeutic value.
Milieu benefit anxiety
Structuring the daily routine to offer physical safety and predictability, thus reducing anxiety over the unknown
Providing daily activities to promote sharing and cooperation
Providing therapeutic interactions, including one-on-one nursing care and behavior contracts
Including the client in decisions about his or her own care
Organization to help learn more about complementary and alternative medicines
National Institutes of Health (NIH) established the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in 1998.
Acupuncture.
The term “acupuncture” describes a family of procedures involving the stimulation of anatomical points on the body using a variety of techniques.
The acupuncture technique that has been most often studied scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation.
health is achieved by maintaining the body in a “balanced state”; disease is due to an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of qi
Qi can be unblocked, according to TCM, by using acupuncture at certain points on the body that connect with these meridians.
Herbal therapies advantages
echinacea (immune stimulant and anti-infection agent); garlic (antihypertensive and antibiotic); ginger (anti-nauseant and antispasmodic); ginseng root (increased stamina and decreased fatigue); kava kava (calming effect); and St. John’s wort (anxiolytics and antidepressant).
Therapeutic touch
useful in relieving premenstrual syndrome, depression, complications in premature babies, and secondary infections associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HN) infection; lowering blood pressure; decreasing edema; easing abdominal cramps and nausea; resolving fevers; and accelerating the healing of fractures, wounds, and infections.
Concurrent use of SSRI and St. John’s Wort
No, risk of serotonin syndrome
Yoga as a treatment approach
People use yoga for a variety of conditions and to achieve fitness and relaxation.
Dolores Krieger and use of therapeutic touch
Dolores Krieger, a nursing professor at New York University
healing is promoted by balancing the body’s energies.
practitioners focus completely on the person receiving the treatment, without any other distraction. Practitioners then assess the energy field, clear and balance it through hand movements, and/or direct energy in a specific region of the body. The therapist does not physically touch the client. After undergoing a session of therapeutic touch, clients report a sense of deep relaxation.
Beck’s Cognitive Triad in depressed patients.
negative views of self
tendency toward interpreting experiences in a negative manner
holding negative views of the future
Operant conditioning
Operant conditioning is the basis for behavior modification and uses positive reinforcement to increase desired behaviors.
desired goals are achieved or behaviors are performed, clients might be rewarded with tokens. These tokens can be exchanged for food, small luxuries, or privileges. This reward system is known as a token economy.
been useful in improving the verbal behaviors of mute, autistic, and developmentally disabled children. In clients with severe and persistent mental illness, behavior modification has helped increase levels of self-care, social behavior, group participation
Behavioral therapy
Behavioral therapy is base on the assumption that changes in maladaptive behavior can occur without insight into the underlying cause. This approach works best when it is directed at specific problems and the goals are well defined. Behavioral therapy is effective in treating people with phobias, alcoholism, schizophrenia, and many other conditions.
4 types behavioral therapy
Modeling, operant conditioning, systematic desensitization, aversion
Systematic Desensitization
Systematic desensitization is another form of behavior modification therapy that involves the development of behavioral tasks customized to the client’s specific fears; these tasks are presented to the client while using learned relaxation techniques. The process involves four steps:
The client’s fear is broken down into its components by exploring the particular stimulus cues to which the client reacts.
The client is incrementally exposed to the fear.
The client is instructed in how to design a hierarchy of fears.
The client practices these techniques every day.
Approach to patient wanting to use CAM to treat his health conditions
studies in the field are minimal when compared to those of conventional medicine. no standards or regulations that guarantee the safety or efficacy of herbal products. Consumers may waste a great deal of money and risk their health on unproven, fraudulently marketed, useless, or harmful products and treatments. Another concern regarding CAM therapies is that diagnosis and treatment may be delayed while clients try alternative interventions, which is common with mental health symptoms such as major depression and anxiety. Research on herbs such as St. John’s wort, valerian, and ginkgo biloba and mind-body interventions such as yoga and meditation is extensive, and results are available on the NCCAM website.
Cognitive distortions
schemas can be conceptualized as stored bodies of knowledge that interact with incoming information to influence selective attention and memory search
schema is an abstract cognitive plan that serves as a guide for interpreting information and solving problems
schema as “the basis for molding data into cognitions, defined as nay verbal or pictoral content
schema is dormant until activated by a relevant stimulus
DBT
tx designed specifically for individuals with self harm behaviors, self cutting, suicide, etc.
three modes of dbt
individual, skills group (mindfullness, interpersonal effectiveness (ie), emotional regulation (er), distress tolerance (dt), telephone crises management, contract to call therapist for suicide or self harm behaviors
piaget
theory of cognitive development
children move through 4 difference stages of mental development. sensorimotor- birth to 2 yearspreoperational- 2-7 yearsconcrete operational- 7-11 yearsformal operational- 12 plus
piaget assumption
Assumption: children construct their own knowledge in response to their experiences. Learn many things on own without intervention, children are intrinsically motivated to learn
Ainsworth
theorist that studied types of attachment by use of the strange situation test
strange situation test
Gradually subjecting a child to a stressful situation and observing his or her behavior toward the parent or caregiver. This test is used to classify children according to type of attachment—secure, resistant, avoidant, or disorganized/disoriented.
Yalom
existential psychotherapy is an attitude toward human suffering and has no manual. Asks deep questions about the nature of the human being and nature of anxiety/despair/grief/loneliness/isolation. Questions meaning of love, creativity.
Primary purpose of group therapy.
group therapy helps promotes and enhances understanding of one’s self, overcome fears, undesirable thoughts, and feelings and adopt new behaviors.
Open groups
permits termination of members at different points and their substitution by new members. learning from each other, lots of participation, ideal for most settings, groups also can vary in purpose
a group in which new members are added as others leave
closed groups
members begin and end the group at the same time. ex. outpatient smoking cessation
a group in which membership is restricted; no new members are added when other leave
Agenda group
size 6-12, inpatient/outpatient, each individual states an agenda for that day’s session. Higher functioning clients
Focus group
size 4-7, inpatient, higher pathologies, lower functioning, goal is to make this successful, non anxiety producing so clients comfortable in group, simple tasks
Heterogeneous group
a group in which a range of differences exists among members
Homogeneous group
a group in which all members share central traits (e.g., men’s group, group of clients with bipolar disorder)
reasons a therapist to share personal information with patients
using self-disclosure: demonstrate how you had changed similar automatic thoughts.
altruism in therapy
the group is a place where members can help each other, and the experience of being able to give something to another person can lift the member’s self esteem and help develop more adaptive coping styles an interpersonal skills
Interpersonal learning.
it occurs when group members learn from one another. it involves exchange of feedback on relational styles through the rational experiences that occur in the here and now of the group.
Overgeneralization
affects people with depression or anxiety disorders. way of thinking where you apply one experience to all experiences, including those in the future. Ex. i once gave a poor speech, therefore I always screw up speeches.
secure attachment- ainsworth
a relationship in which an infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver
caregiver: reacts quickly and positively to the childs needs.
Child- distressed when caregiver leaves, happy when return, seek comfort when scared or sad.
insecure-avoidant attachment
a pattern of attachment in which an infant avoids connection with the caregiver, as when the infant seems not to care, no distress, no acknowledgement about the caregiver’s presence, departure, or return. Child- dismissive, doesn’t seek or make contact with caregiver
insecure-ambivalent- anxious attachment
responds to child inconsistently. distress when caregiver leaves, not comforted by return of caregiver.
a smaller portion of infants experienced greater levels of distress and upon reuniting with the parents, seemed both to seek comfort and to attempt to “punish” the parents for leaving
insecure-disorganized attachment
a pattern of attachment in which an infant seems confused or apprehensive and shows contradictory behavior, such as moving toward the mother while looking away from her.
Abusive, neglectful, responds in frighening ways. No attaching behaviors, often appear dazed, confused or apprehensive in presence of caregiver.
Children- no particular pattern of attachment.
Effective group leader
Leaders must have skills in communicating effectively, listening actively, working with people, and helping others work together in groups. Leaders must have integrity and honesty. … True leaders focus on helping their group achieve its goals rather than on their own personal recognition.
Paradoxical directive
an instruction by a therapy professional toward the client to do exactly the opposite of what common sense would guide one to do in effort to show the irrationality or self-defeating nature of the patient ‘s initial intent.
Paradoxical directive or instruction (Strategic Family Therapy)
Prescribe the symptomatic behavior so a client realizes he or she can control it; uses the strength of resistance to change in order to move client toward goals
Strategic Therapy
is any type of therapy where the therapist initiates what happens during therapy and designs a particular approach for each problem.”
-The strategic therapist becomes actively involved and responsible in helping clients turn their lives around, in helping them strategically plan, execute, and measure “game winning” outcomes.
Identify solvable problems
Set goals
Design interventions to achieve those goals
Examine the responses
Examine the outcome of the therapy.
In Strategic Therapy, when first starting out with a family in therapy, it is important to
adjust your style to the family’s, paying close attention to both verbal and non-verbal cues as you attempt to engage with each member of the family.
Strategic Therapy
A therapeutic approach whereby the therapist develops a specific plan and designs interventions geared toward solving a family’s presenting problems.
Strategic Therapy
any of several artful approaches that aim to manipulate behavior change to solve family problems
Underlying assumptions used in planning of behavioral therapy approaches:
Behavioral therapy is based on the assumption that changes in maladaptive behavior can occur without insight into the underlying cause.
Interpersonal learning
It occurs when group members learn from one another. It involves exchange of feedback on relational styles through the rational experiences that occur in the here and now of the group.
Attachment Theory
Attachment can be defined as the emotional tone between children and their caregivers, as seen within the 1st month. Originated by John Bowlby.
Bowlby assumptions
Attachment constituted a central motivational force and that mother/infant was an essential medium of human interaction which has important consequences for later development and personality functioning.
Can form attachments to more than one person, develops gradually
It results in the infant wanting to be with the person who is perceived as stronger, wiser, able to reduce stress and anxiety.
Gives the infant a feeling of security
The amount of time spent together is less important than the amount of activity between the two.
Harry Harlow
was able to show with monkeys: Isolating monkeys from birth led to behaviors that were withdrawn, unable to relate to peers, unable to mate, and incapable of caring for their offspring
Pre-attachment stage
(birth to 8-12 wks)- babies orient to their mothers, follow them with their eyes over a 180 degree range, and turn towards mothers voice.
Attachment in the making
8-12 wks – 6 months. Infants become more attached to one or more persons in the environment.
Clear-cut attachment
6-24 months. Infants show signs of distress when separated from caretaker or mother. Can occur as early as 3 months.
Insecure-avoidant
Tends to avoid close contact with people andlingers near caregivers rather than approaching them directly.
Insecure-ambivalent-
child finds exploratory play difficult, even in the absence of danger, clings to his or her inconsistent parents.
Insecure-disorganized –
Children in this case have parents who are emotionally absent with a parental history of abuse in their childhood,
Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Therapy
People control their own destinies and interpret events according to their own values and beliefs.
A-B-C theory
Activating event, belief, consequences (emotional and/or behavioral)
Ellis- RET
Forms of irrational beliefs
Something should be different/Something is awful or terrible/One cannot tolerate something/Something or someone is damned or cursed.
Ellis-RET
“Masturbatory” ideologies have 3 forms:
I must do well and win approval or I am a rotten person/You must act kindly toward me or you are a rotten person/My life must remain comfortable or life hardly seems worth living.
Ellis-RET
Therapy consists of… for RET
Therapy consists of detecting and eradication irrational beliefs, Disputing: Detecting irrationalities, debating them, discriminating between logical and illogical thinking, and defining what helps create new beliefs. Debating: Questioning and disputing the irrational beliefs. Discriminating: Distinguishing between wants and needs, desires and demands, and rational and irrational ideas. Defining: Defining words and redefining beliefs.
Assumption of RET
People make themselves sick anytime they escalate a desire or preference into a demand or absolute must. (People become who they become based on their beliefs).
Ecosocial theory
is a broad and complex theory with the purpose of describing and explaining causal relationships in disease distribution. While it incorporates biological and psychosocial influences on disease occurrence, the theory is also suited to analyse the relationships between social factors and disease development in public health research.
Embodiment
describes the literal physical incorporation of the social and biological world into an individual’s body.
Ecosocial theory
Pathways to embodiment-
describes the various ways that social, biological, and environmental forces may interact with an individual’s body in context.
Ecosocial theory
The cumulative interplay of exposure, susceptibility, and resistance
describes how patterns of disease occur within a social, ecological, and biological context. It emphasizes how individuals in different socio-economic positions have different exposures, susceptibilities, and resistance (both biological and political) to disease, based on their unique histories and experiences over the lifecourse, based on spatio-temporal factors and the interaction with groups, power structures, discrimination, and inequality.
Ecosocial theory
Agency and accountability
claims that the State is a responsible agent in the patterns of disease distribution in a given society
Ecosocial theory
Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development suggests that
children move through four different stages of mental development.
Sensorimotor stage
birth to 2 years
Preoperational stage:
ages 2-7
Concrete operational stage:
ages 7 to 11
Formal operational stage:
ages 12 and up
Possible outcomes for patients with Schizophrenia when conducting a symptom management group
found that skills training programs produce moderate but significant improvement in social functioning (ES = 0.52) and negative symptoms (ES = 0.40) and reduce hospitalization rates over a 1- to 2-year follow-up period
Reinforcement while conducting group therapy
Positive behavior is rewarded and motivated. Rules are established by the therapist that specifies behaviors to be rewarded. This technique is based largely on behaviorism. Tokens for example are used to note a reward; accumulated tokens are then rewarded with an established reward
Silent Sam
With such clients the goal is to find a way to get all members, especially those who are less verbal, to participate in all group sessions.
“Mary, we haven’t heard from you tonight.”
“Mary, I noticed that you haven’t said much tonight. How has your week gone?”
“Bill has just shared his frustrations with the group. Mary, I know you’ve said you felt frustrated insimilar situations. What advice can you give Bill?” [This example directly targets a silent client by asking him or her to offer advice or suggestions to another client.]
Late laura
Although most clients who come late to groups are aware of their behavior, some fail to understand the effect their behavior has on the group. Having the group respond to such clients is more likely to result in changes (e.g., coming to subsequent groups on time) than is being told they are late by group leaders. The following responses would be used only with clients who are repeatedly late or who miss several group meetings.
“This is the third time Mary has been late. What suggestions can the group provide to help her get here on time?”
“I’m wondering how others feel about Mary being late for group several times.” [Although this response is more direct than the first example, open discussion of some issues can increase members’ sensitivity to their own behavior, as well as help them understand how their behavior affects the entire group.]
Tommie THerapist
Such clients may have been attending a group for several sessions, or they may have considerable prior therapy experience. At times, such clients’ interactions in groups will parallel those of a therapist. Although such advice can sometimes be helpful to group members, on other occasions the advice can be disruptive or too direct.
“Bill, your comments have been helpful. Let’s see how others view Mary’s concerns.”
“Bill, that is one way of looking at how Mary can handle the situation. What additional options canothers offer Mary?”
Chatty Cathy and Monopolizing Mike
Such clients dominate group discussions. Group leaders need to find effective ways to interrupt such clients, as they are often unaware of the impact that their behavior has on the group. A strategy that group leaders can use when a Chatty Cathy client is talking is to direct questions to the group as a whole. For example:
“Bill, it sounds like a lot has happened with you this week. I am wondering what has happened with other group members.” (The group leader then calls on another member.) “Mary, how did your week go?”
“Mary, you seem to have had a lot going on this past week. Let’s take a look at what’s been happening with you for a few more minutes, and then let’s see how others have been doing this past week.”Interrupting IvanThe behavior of such clients in groups is disruptive, as they frequently interrupt ongoing group discussions.
“We seem to be having an active discussion about [insert topic] today, but several members are talking at the same time. I’m wondering how this is affecting the group and what the group thinks we should do.”
“I know we all have important things to say, but we need to respect each other and let others finish what they are saying before the next person speaks.”
Resistent Roberta
Clients who feel they are forced or coerced to attend groups (e.g., by a spouse, probation officer, employer) are often not happy and, consequently, participate minimally, if at all.
“Bill, as with many people, it appears that you are upset about your probation officer telling you that you have to come to treatment. What suggestions does the group have for Bill?”
“Mary, it sounds like you feel you had no choice in coming to group and you are angry. Who else with similar experiences can share with Mary how they’ve handled such situations?”
Group Dynamics
Group dynamics deals with the attitudes and behavioral patterns of a group. It can be used as a means for problem-solving, teamwork, and to become more innovative and productive as an organization. The concept of group dynamics will also provide you with the strengths, success factors, and measures along with other professional tools
Intermittent Explosive Disorder and Piaget’s model.
An inability to resist aggressive urges towards others with bouts of explosive anger and assault towards others and their property
Goal of the cognitive-behavioral model according to Beck and Ellis.
Therapist goals are to provide symptom relief, facilitate a remission of the disorder, help the patients resolved their most pressing problems, and teach them skills to avoid relapse.
Cognitive reconstruction
is a group of therapeutic techniques that help people notice and change their negative thinking patterns. When thought patterns become destructive and self-defeating. It’s a good idea to explore ways to interrupt and redirect him. That is what cognitive reconstruction can do
. All-or-Nothing Thinking
You see things in black-or-white categories. If a situation falls short of perfect, you see it as a total failure. When a young woman on a diet ate a spoonful of ice cream, she told herself, “I’ve blown my diet completely.” This thought upset her so much that she gobbled down an entire quart of ice cream
Mental Filter
You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively so that your vision of all reality becomes darkened, like the drop of ink that discolors the entire beaker of water.
Discounting the positive
reject positive experiences by insisting they don’t count. If you do a good job, you may tell yourself that it wasn’t good enough or that anyone could have done as well. Discounting the positive takes the joy out of life and makes you feel inadequate and unrewarded.
Jumping to Conclusions:
You interpret things negatively when there are no facts to support your conclusion
Mind Reading
Without checking it out, you arbitrarily conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you
Fortune-telling
You predict that things will turn out badly. Before a test you may tell yourself, “I’m really going to blow it. What if I flunk?” If you’re depressed you may tell yourself, “I’ll never get better.”
Magnification
You exaggerate the importance of your problems and shortcomings, or you minimize the importance of your desirable qualities. This is also called the “binocular trick.”
Emotional Reasoning
You assume that your negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are: “I feel it, therefore it must be true.”
You assume that your negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are: “I feel terrified about going on airplanes. It must be very dangerous to fly.” Or “I feel guilty. I must be a rotten person.” Or “I feel angry. This proves I’m being treated unfairly.” Or “I feel so inferior. This means I’m a second-rate person.” Or “I feel hopeless. I must really be hopeless
“Should statements”
Dr. Albert Ellis has called this “musterbation.” “Should statements” that are directed against yourself lead to guilt and frustration. Should statements that are directed against other people or the world in general lead to anger and frustration: “He shouldn’t be so stubborn and argumentative.”
Labeling:
: Labeling is an extreme form of all-or-nothing thinking. Instead of saying “I
made a mistake,” you attach a negative label to yourself: “I’m a loser.”
.Personalization and blame
Personalization occurs when you hold yourself personally responsible for an event that isn’t entirely under your control. When a woman received a note that her child was having difficulties at school, she told herself, “This shows what a bad mother I am,”
They blame other people or their circumstances for their problems, and they overlook ways that they might be contributing to the problem: “The reason my marriage is so lousy is because my spouse is totally unreasonable.”
Thought process of focus by therapists using CBT
Negative automatic thoughts (NATs)
Underlying assumptions used in planning of behavioral therapy approaches
All behavior, normal or abnormal, is acquired and maintained in identical ways (that is, according to the same principles of learning).
Behavior disorders represent learned maladaptive patterns that need not presume some inferred underlying cause or unseen motive.
Maladaptive behavior, such as symptoms, is itself the disorder, rather than it being a manifestation of a more basic underlying disorder or disease process.
It is not essential to discover the exact situation or set of circumstances in which the disorder was learned; these circumstances are usually irretrievable anyway. Rather, the focus should be on assessing the current determinants that support and maintain the undesired behavior.
Maladaptive behavior, having been learned, can be extinguished (that is, unlearned) and replaced by new learned behavior patterns.
Treatment involves the application of the experimental findings of scientific psychology, with an emphasis on developing a methodology that is precisely specified, objectively evaluated, and easily replicated.
Assessment is an ongoing part of treatment, as the effectiveness of treatment is continuously evaluated and specific intervention techniques are individually tailored to specific problems.
Behavioral therapy concentrates on “here-and-now” problems, rather than uncovering or attempting to reconstruct the past. The therapist is interested in helping the client identify and change current environmental stimuli that reinforce the undesired behavior, in order to alter the client’s behavior.
Treatment outcomes are evaluated in terms of measurable changes.
Research on specific therapeutic techniques is continuously carried out by behavioral therapists