Cognitive Therapy Techniques

Cognitive therapists believe that it is important to socialize the clients to therapy for educational purposes. This technique teaches the client not only about the cognitive model, but it informs the client about the entire process, reviews past homework and reviews last sessions discussion. By guiding Helen through this process, the therapist reinforces the techniques of cognitive therapy, which she has explained in a previous session. The goal is to have the client understand how the sessions are structured, what types of exercises will be practiced, and homework assignments. This enhances the process because the client is more aware of thought patterns when they’re on their own. The therapist gave an example to Helen with seeing a friend walking in public and even though you wave they don’t wave back. The irrational thoughts start going through your mind, which activates your emotions, and then followed up with actions. The goal is to identify the thought, be aware, and move past it. The friend could’ve just not seen you. This is explained to Helen very accurately and you can tell she is getting the concept. …show more content…
Stating the reason for that is to be extremely efficient in their time together. The Therapist also informed Helen that each week they will measure progress using the Beck depression inventory to check on progress. According to the article, “The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a 21-item self-reporting questionnaire for evaluating the severity of depression in normal and psychiatric populations” (Jackson, 2016, p.174). The last area was the guided discovery to examine Helen’s thoughts to distinguish between rational and irrational thoughts. By guiding Helen through this process, the therapist reinforces the techniques of cognitive therapy, which she has explained in a previous