Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Guides and Self-Help for Children and Adults

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Guides and Self-Help for Children and Adults

Please see below for our handouts and then additional information about cognitive behavioral therapy.

CBT Handout for Children

CBT Handout for Adults

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, also known as CBT is a brief process that focuses on tackling the problems and stressors that contribute to emotional and behavioral problems. This therapy focuses on identifying and reframing an individual’s illogical thought and behavior patterns that contribute to daily distress. CBT has posed highly significant success for individuals with a variety of emotional and psychological issues, such as: anxiety, depression, panic disorder, and addictive tendencies.

The main principles of CBT:

• Our thoughts dictate our emotions and how we perceive the world around us. Thought processes play a significant role in the onset of emotional problems. The environment can make an individual feel certain emotions, however our thoughts about the situation can make our emotions more intense.
• Becoming aware of the connection between the mind, body, thought processes and feelings can reveal behavioral problems or thinking patterns that contribute to distress.
• CBT allows the individual to identify the distorted thought patterns that they are experiencing and reframe them in a more realistic manner.

What do the sessions consist of?

• Goal (there is a clear goal in mind for each session)
• Identifying the problems and thought patterns that contribute to distress.
• Regarding how you are feeling in the present moment, the mental health professional might ask questions like, “What is going through your mind right now?” or “How are you feeling?”
• Coping and skills: the mental health professional will walk you through skills and problem-focused coping mechanisms to help to deal with the problems as they present themselves.
• The mental health professional will focus on emphasizing the clients thought patterns and skills for reframing the thoughts in a more successful manner.

Different techniques that might be used in the session:

• Evidence-based thought processes: The client will be challenged to objectively evaluate thought process instead of reasoning with emotions and ask, “what evidence do I have to back this up?”
• Different perspective: The individual will be challenged to look at the situation from another perspective.
• Cost-Benefit Analysis: Does it benefit me or put me at a disadvantage to think this way?
• Asking oneself, “What are the chances of something bad happening and what are some ways I can solve this problem if it does arise?”

Cognitive behavioral therapy has highly acclaimed success rates for individuals facing irrational thought patterns in their everyday thinking. In the duration of each session, the mental health professional will consider a plan for the client that will be emphasized. The client and the mental health professional will actively collaborate, identifying the issue and developing a plan of action to combat the emotional or behavioral issues. The mental health professional might provide the individual with work to focus on in the time in between their sessions. By the end of the short-term therapy, the individual will essentially be their own therapist, using the problem-focused coping skills on their own after the therapy ends.

Find out more about D’Arienzo Psychology if you are interested in working with a psychologist, therapist, or counselor. Our providers are all experts in CBT.