Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic model with the aim of reducing emotional suffering by reducing unrealistic thoughts and beliefs (called cognitive distortions), and harmful behaviors.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been shown to have high efficacy in treating a variety of mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety. In fact, the National Institute of Health refers to CBT as the current gold standard of psychotherapy.
John Mathews, LCSW at Virginia Counseling, has been practicing psychotherapy in the Greater Richmond area since 2009 and draws heavily from cognitive-behavioral therapy in his work with clients.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy gained prominence during the “cognitive revolution” of the 1950s, lead by early proponents Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck. CBT therapists seek to provide tangible skills (coping skills) to help their clients with emotion management and emotional regulation in the immediate-term. This contrasts with earlier, longer-term therapeutic models like Freudian psychoanalysis, which seeks to resolve emotional distress through the processing of past experiences and events.
You may be interested to know that cognitive-behavioral therapy has roots much further back in time than the 1950s. In developing their early CBT models, both Ellis and Beck drew inspiration from Stoicism, an ancient Greek school of philosophy that flourished in the 3rd century BC. Stoics believed that the proper use of logic and ethics were the key to a good life, and that suffering occurs when one’s beliefs or expectations stray from reality or are unjust in nature.
Socratic questioning is a central aspect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (Beck, 1985, 167) which derives its name from the 5th century BCE philosopher Socrates. Socratic questioning in CBT primarily entails asking questions intended to help the client reflect on distressing thoughts or experiences in order to re-evaluate those thoughts and experiences. While Socratic questioning…
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is psychotherapeutic method for treating anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. A key component of CBT is the identifying and changing of cognitive distortions, or errors of thought, which interact with associated behaviors to negatively influence emotional states. It is rather well-known that there is some precedent for CBT in the…
Cognitive distortions are errors of thought and/or belief that create false perceptions of reality and by doing so create emotional distress. Cognitive distortions can be contributing factors to anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. Identifying and reducing cognitive distortions is a core component of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which is one of the most well-regarded…
Should statements are cognitive distortions, or faulty thought patterns, in which a person creates rigid expectations that in turn lead to unnecessary distress (Burns, 1981, 40–41; Beck, 2021, 253). Should statements become so ingrained in our thought habits that we don’t even realize we are making these errors, even when we are on the lookout…
Worst-case scenario thinking, also known as catastrophizing, is a cognitive distortion or faulty thought pattern, in which a person greatly exaggerates the likelihood that something unusually bad will occur (Burns, 1981, 40–41; Beck, 2021, 253). Worst-case scenario thinking is one of the more common cognitive distortions, particularly for those with anxiety or depressive disorders. In…
Emotional reasoning is a cognitive distortion, or faulty pattern of thought, in which a person believes that his or her own emotional experience in response to a thought is evidence for the truthfulness of that thought (Burns, 1981, 40–41; Beck, 2021, 253). In a nutshell, emotional reasoning occurs when we think the following: I feel it’s true,…