COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY BASICS AND BEYOND

COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY BASICS AND BEYOND COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY Basics and Beyond (Second edition) Judith S Beck Foreword by Aaron T Beck ABOUT THE AUTHOR Judith S Beck, PhD, is President of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy (www.beckinstitute.org) and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine She has written nearly 100 articles and chapters as well as several books for professionals and consumers; has made hundreds of presentations, nationally and internationally, on topics related to cognitive behavior therapy; and is the codeveloper of the Beck Youth Inventories and the Personality Belief Questionnaire Dr Beck is a founding fellow and past president of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy FOREWORD I am delighted that the success of the first edition of Cognitive Therapy: Basics and Beyond has prompted this revision It offers readers fresh insights into this approach to psychotherapy, and, I trust, will be welcomed by those who are versed in cognitive behavior therapy as well as students new to the field Given the tremendous amount of new research and expansion of ideas that continue to move the field in exciting new directions, I applaud the efforts to expand this volume to incorporate some of the different ways of conceptualizing and treating our patients I would like to take the reader back to the early days of cognitive therapy and its development since then When I first, started treating patients with a set of therapeutic procedures that I subsequently labeled “cognitive therapy” (and now refer to as “cognitive behavior therapy”), I had no idea where this approach —which departed so strongly from my psychoanalytic training—would lead me Based on my clinical observations and some systematic clinical studies and experiments, I theorized that there was a thinking disorder at the core of the psychiatric syndromes such as depression and anxiety This disorder was reflected in a systematic bias in the way the patients interpreted particular experiences By pointing out these biased interpretations and proposing alternatives—that is, more probable explanations—I found that I could produce an almost immediate lessening of the symptoms Training the patients in these cognitive skills helped to sustain the improvement This concentration on hereand-now problems appeared to produce almost total alleviation of symptoms in 10 to 14 weeks Later clinical trials by my own group and clinicians/ investigators elsewhere supported the efficacy of this approach for anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and panic disorder By the mid-1980s, I could claim that cognitive therapy had attained the status of a “system of psychotherapy.” It consisted of (1) a theory of personality and psychopathology with solid empirical findings to support its basic postulates; (2) a model of psychotherapy, with sets of principles and strategies that blended with the theory of psychopathology; and (3) solid empirical findings based on clinical outcome studies to support the efficacy of this approach Since my earlier work, a new generation of therapists/ researchers/ teachers has conducted basic investigations of the conceptual model of psychopathology and applied cognitive behavior therapy to a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders The systematic investigations explore the basic cognitive dimensions of personality and the psychiatric disorders, the idiosyncratic processing and recall of information in these disorders, and the relationship between vulnerability and stress The applications of cognitive behavior therapy to a host of psychological and medical disorders extend far beyond anything I could have imagined when I treated my first few cases of depression and anxiety with cognitive therapy On the basis of outcome trials, investigators throughout the world, but particularly the United States, have established that, cognitive behavior therapy is effective in conditions as diverse as posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias of all kinds, and eating disorders Often in combination with medication, it has been helpful in the treatment of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia Cognitive therapy has also been found to be beneficial in a wide variety of chronic medical disorders such as low back pain, colitis, hypertension, and chronic fatigue syndrome With a smorgasbord of applications of cognitive behavior therapy, how can an aspiring therapist begin to learn the nuts and bolts of this therapy? Extracting from Alice in Wonderland, “Start at the beginning.” This now brings us back to the question at the beginning of this foreword The purpose of this book by Dr Judith Beck, one of the foremost second-generation cognitive behavior therapists (and who, as a teenager, was one of the first to listen to me expound on my new theory), is to provide a solid basic foundation for the practice of cognitive behavior therapy Despite the formidable array of different applications of cognitive behavior therapy, they all are based on fundamental principles outlined in this volume Even experienced cognitive behavior therapists should find this book quite helpful in sharpening their conceptualization skills, expanding their repertoire of therapeutic techniques, planning more effective treatment., and troubleshooting difficulties in therapy Of course, no book can substitute for supervision in cognitive behavior therapy But this book is an important volume and can be supplemented by supervision, which is readily available from a network of trained cognitive therapists (see Appendix B) Dr Judith Beck is eminently qualified to offer this guide to cognitive behavior therapy For the past 25 years, she has conducted numerous workshops and trainings in cognitive behavior therapy, supervised both beginners and experienced therapists, helped develop treatment protocols for various disorders, and participated actively in research on cognitive behavior therapy With such a background to draw on, she has written a book with a rich lode of information to apply this therapy, the first edition of which has been the leading cognitive behavior therapy text in most graduate psychology, psychiatry, social work, and counseling programs The practice of cognitive behavior therapy is not simple I have observed a number of participants in clinical trials, for example, who can go through the motions of working with “automatic thoughts,” without any real understanding of the patients’ perceptions of their personal world or any sense of the principle of “collaborative empiricism.” The purpose of Dr Judith Beck’s book is to educate, to teach, and to train both the novice and the experienced therapist in cognitive behavior therapy, and she has succeeded admirably in this mission AARON T BECK, MD Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania PREFACE I he past two decades have been an exciting time in the field of cognitive therapy With the explosion of new research, cognitive behavior therapy has become the treatment of choice for many disorders, not only because it reduces people’s suffering quickly and moves them toward remission, but also because it helps them stay well A central mission of our nonprofit organization, the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, is to provide state-of-the-art training to health and mental health professionals in Philadelphia and throughout the world But exposure to this type of psychotherapy through workshops and various training programs is not enough Having trained many thousands of people in the past 25 years, I still find that people need a basic manual to read and to which they can repeatedly refer if they are to master the theory, principles, and practice of cognitive behavior therapy This book is designed for a broad audience of health and mental health professionals, from those who have never been exposed to cognitive behavior therapy before to those who are quite experienced but wish to improve their skills, including how to conceptualize patients cognitively, plan treatment, employ a variety of techniques, assess the effectiveness of their treatment, and specify problems that arise in a therapy session To present the material as simply as possible, I have chosen one patient (whose name and identifying characteristics I have changed) to use as an example throughout the book Sally is an ideal patient in many ways, and her treatment clearly exemplifies “standard” cognitive behavior therapy for uncomplicated, single-episode depression Although the treatment described is for a straightforward case of depression with anxious features, the techniques presented also apply to patients with a wide variety of problems References for other dis-orders are provided so that the reader can learn to tailor treatment appropriately The first edition of this book was published in more than 20 languages, and I received feedback from all over the world, much of which I have incorporated into this new edition I have included new material on evaluation and behavioral activation, the Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale (used in many research studies and training programs to measure therapist competency), and a Cognitive Case Write-Up (based on the template provided by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy as a prerequisite to receiving certification) I have also integrated a greater emphasis on the therapeutic relationship, guided discovery and Socratic questioning, eliciting and using patients’ strengths and resources, and homework I have been guided by my clinical practice, teaching, and supervision; by research and publications in the field; and by discussions with students and colleagues, from novice to expert, from many different countries, who specialize ill various aspects of cognitive behavior therapy and in many different disorders This book could not have been written without the groundbreaking work of the father of cognitive therapy, Aaron T Beck, who is also my father and an extraordinary scientist, theorist, practitioner, and person I have also learned a great deal from every supervisor, supervisee, and patient with whom I have worked I am grateful to them all JUDITH S BECK, PhD Chapter INTRODUCTION TO COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY A revolution in the field of mental health was initiated in the early 1960s by Aaron T Beck, MD, then an assistant professor in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Dr Beck was a fully trained and practicing psychoanalyst A scientist at heart, he believed that in order for psychoanalysis to be accepted by the medical community, its theories needed to be demonstrated as empirically valid In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he embarked on a series of experiments that he fully expected would produce such validation Instead, the opposite occurred The results of Dr Beck’s experiments led him to search for other explanations for depression He identified distorted, negative cognition (primarily thoughts and beliefs) as a primary feature of depression and developed a shortterm treatment, one of whose primary targets was the reality testing of patients’ depressed thinking In this chapter, you will find the answers to the following questions: - What is cognitive behavior therapy? - How was it developed? - What does research tell us about its effectiveness? - What are its basic principles? - How can you become an effective cognitive behavior therapist? WHAT IS COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY? Aaron Beck developed a form of psychotherapy in the early 1960s that he originally termed “cognitive therapy.” “Cognitive therapy” is now used synonymously with “cognitive behavior therapy” by much of our field and it is this latter term that will be used throughout this volume Beck devised a structured, short-term, present-oriented psychotherapy for depression, directed toward solving current problems and modifying dysfunctional (inaccurate and/or unhelpful) thinking and behavior (Beck, 1964) Since that time, he and others have successfully adapted this therapy to a surprisingly diverse set of populations with a wide range of disorders and problems These adaptations have changed the focus, techniques, and length of treatment, but the theoretical assumptions themselves have remained constant In all forms of cognitive behavior therapy that are derived from Beck’s model, treatment is based on a cognitive formulation, the beliefs and behavioral strategies that characterize a specific disorder (Alford & Beck, 1997) Treatment is also based on a conceptualization, or understanding, of individual patients (their specific beliefs and patterns of behavior) The therapist seeks in a variety of ways to produce cognitive change— modification in the patient’s thinking and belief system—to bring about enduring emotional and behavioral change Beck drew on a number of different, sources when he developed this form of psychotherapy, including early philosophers, such as Epicetus, and theorists, such as Karen Horney, Alfred Adler, George Kelly, Albert Ellis, Richard Lazarus, and Albert Bandura Beck’s work, in turn, has been expanded by current researchers and theorists, too numerous to recount here, in the United States and abroad There are a number of forms of cognitive behavior therapy that share characteristics of Beck’s therapy, but whose conceptualizations and emphases in treatment vary to some degree These include rational emotional behavior therapy (Ellis, 1962), dialectical behavior therapy (Linehan, 1993), problemsolving therapy (D’Zurilla & Nezu, 2006), acceptance and commitment therapy (Haves, Follette, 8c Linehan, 2004), exposure therapy (Foa & Rothbaum, 1998), cognitive processing therapy (Resick & Schnicke, 1993), cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (McCullough, 1999), behavioral activation (Lewinsohn, Sullivan, & Grosscup, 1980; Martell, Addis, & Jacobson, 2001), cognitive behavior modification (Meichenbaum, 1977), and others Beck’s cognitive behavior therapy often incorporates techniques from all these therapies, and other psychotherapies, within a cognitive framework Historical overviews of the field provide a rich description of how the different streams of cognitive behavior therapy originated and grew (Arnkoff & Glass, 1992; A Beck, 2005; Clark, Beck, & Alford, 1999; Dobson & Dozois, 2009; Hollon & Beck, 1993) Cognitive behavior therapy has been adapted for patients with diverse levels of education and income as well as a variety of cultures and ages, from young children to older adults It is now used in primary care and other medical offices, schools, vocational programs, and prisons, among other settings It is used in group, couple, and family formats While the treatment described ill this book focuses on individual 45-minute sessions, treatment can be briefer Some patients, such as those who suffer from schizophrenia, often cannot tolerate a full session, and some practitioners can use cognitive therapy techniques, without conducting a full therapy session, within a medical or rehabilitation appointment or medication check WHAT IS THE THEORY UNDERLYING COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY? In a nutshell, the cognitive model proposes that dysfunctional thinking (which influences the patient’s mood and behavior) is common to all psychological disturbances When people learn to evaluate their thinking in a more realistic and adaptive way, they experience improvement in their emotional state and in their behavior For example, if you were quite depressed and bounced some checks, you might have an automatic thought, an idea that just, seemed to pop up in your mind: “I can’t anything right.” This thought might then lead to a particular reaction: you might feel sad (emotion) and retreat to bed (behavior) If you then examined the validity of this idea, you might conclude that you had overgeneralized and that, in fact, you actually many things well Looking at your experience from this new perspective would probably make you feel better and lead to more functional behavior For lasting improvement in patients’ mood and behavior, cognitive therapists work at a deeper level of cognition: patients’ basic beliefs about themselves, their world, and other people Modification of their underlying dysfunctional beliefs produces more enduring change For example, if you continually underestimate your abilities, you might have an underlying belief of incompetence Modifying this general belief (i.e., seeing yourself in a more realistic light as having both strengths and weaknesses) can alter your perception of specific situations that you encounter daily You will no longer have as many thoughts with the theme, “I can’t anything right.” Instead, in specific situations where you make mistakes, you will probably think, “I’m not good at this [specific task].” WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY? Cognitive behavior therapy has been extensively tested since the first outcome study was published in 1977 (Rush, Beck, Kovacs, & Hollon, 1977) At this point, more than 500 outcome studies have demonstrated the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy for a wide range of psychiatric disorders, psychological problems, and medical problems with psychological components (see, e.g., Butler, Chapman, Forman, 8c Beck, 2005; Chambless & Ollendick, 2001) Table 1.1 lists many of the disorders and problems that have been successfully treated with cognitive behavior therapy A more complete list may be found at www.beckinstitute.orsr Studies have been conducted that demonstrate the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy in community settings (see e.g., Shadish, Matt, Navarro & Philips, 2000; Simons et al., 2010; Stirman, Buchhofer, McLaulin, Evans, & Beck, 2009) Other studies have found computer- assisted cognitive behavior therapy to be effective (see, e.g., Khanna & Kendall, 2010; Wright et al., 2002) And several researchers have demonstrated that there are neurobiological changes associated with cognitive behavior therapy treatment for various disorders (see, e.g., Goldapple et al., 2004) Hundreds of research studies have also validated the cognitive model of depression and of anxiety A comprehensive review of these studies can be found in Clark and colleagues (1999) and in Clark and Beck (2010) TABLE 1.1 Partial List of Disorders Successfully Treated by Cognitive Behavior Therapy Psychiatric disorders Psychological problems Medical problems with psychological components Major depressive disorder Couple problems Chronic back pain Geriatric depression Family problems Sickle cell disease pain Generalized anxiety disorder Pathological gambling Migraine headaches Geriatric anxiety Complicated grief Tinnitus Panic disorder Caregiver distress Cancer pain Agoraphobia Anger and hostility Somatoform disorders opportunities) For the most part, Sally’s beliefs about other people were positive and functional; she tended to see others as well intentioned, although she was sometimes cowed by authority figures She also believed that her world was relatively safe, stable, and predictable D Strengths and Assets: Sally had high psychological mindedness, objectivity, and adaptiveness She was intelligent and before depression set in, very hard working She was motivated for therapy She had the ability to form good, stable relationships with others E Working Hypothesis (Summary of Conceptualization): For much of her life, Sally saw herself as reasonably competent, worthwhile, and likeable She was always vulnerable, however, to perceiving herself as incompetent, for at least three reasons: (1) her mother was highly critical of her growing up; (2) her supportive father was often not at home; and (3) she had a tendency to compare herself unfavorably to others For example, Sally continually compared herself unfavorably to her brother, who (because he was years older) could almost everything better than she could Instead of recognizing that she would likely be able to meet his accomplishments when she reached the same age, she interpreted the vast differences between what she was able to accomplish at a given time with what he accomplished during that same time as signs of her own incompetence She also compared herself to the best students in the class and found herself lacking Sally historically was vigilant for signs of incompetence in her-self and sometimes discounted or failed to recognize signs of competence She developed certain rules to ensure that her incompetence would not be exposed (e.g., “I must work very hard”; “I must live up to my potential”; “I must always my best”) As a result, she developed the following compensatory strategies: she holds high expectations for herself, works very hard, is vigilant for shortcomings, and avoids seeking help Until she reached college, her life was guided by related assumptions: “If I achieve highly, it means I’m okay.” “If I hide my weaknesses, others will view me as competent.” Throughout high school, Sally was able to achieve highly enough (in her estimation), but in her freshman year of college, she started to struggle with her studies She became quite anxious He: core belief of incompetence became activated She started to have fearful automatic thoughts about failure Her anxiety interfered effective studying and problem solving She also began to withdraw from others and avoid schoolwork and other challenges Then the corollary to her underlying assumptions dominated her thinking: “If I don’t achieve highly, it means I’m incompetent.” “If I ask for heir I’ll be seen as incompetent.” As she began to perform more poorly she became convinced of her incompetence Failing to be productive and failing to gain social support from others probably contribute to the onset of her depression III TREATMENT PLAN A Problem List Studying and writing papers Volunteering in class and taking tests Social withdrawal Lack of assertiveness with roommate, professors Spending too much time in bed B Treatment Goals Decrease self-criticism Teach basic cognitive tools, Thought Record, etc Decrease time in bed Find healthier ways to have fun Do problem solving around studying, papers, tests Build assertiveness skills C Plan for Treatment: The treatment plan was to reduce Sally depression and anxiety through helping her respond to her automatic thoughts (especially those connected with inadequacy and incompetence), increase her activities through activity scheduling problem-solve difficulties with studying and homework, and build assertiveness through role-playing and modifying interfering IV COURSE OF TREATMENT A Therapeutic Relationship: Sally easily engaged in treatment She saw her therapist as competent and caring B Interventions/ Procedures Taught patient standard cognitive tools of examining and responding to her automatic thoughts (which allowed the patient to see her dysfunctional, distorted logic and thus significantly reduced depressive and anxious symptoms) Had Sally conduct behavioral experiments to test her assumptions This resulted in reduced avoidance and increased assertiveness Helped Sally schedule and increase pleasurable activities Did straightforward problem solving Role-played to teach assertiveness C Obstacles: None D Outcome: Sally’s depression gradually reduced over a 3-month period after we started therapy, until she was in full remission Appendix B COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY RESOURCES TRAINING PROGRAMS The Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy (www.beckinstitute.org) in suburban Philadelphia offers a variety of onsite, off-site, distance, and online training programs THERAPIST AND PATIENT MATERIALS AND REFERRALS Information about the following can be found at www.becki.nslilule.ors,p: Patient booklets Worksheet packet Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale and Manual Books, DVDs, and tapes by Aaron T Beck, MD, and Judith s Beck, PhD Educational catalog Referrals to mental health professionals certified by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy ASSESSMENT MATERIALS The following scales and manuals may be ordered from Pearson (WWW beckscales.com): Beck Depression Inventory—II Beck Depression Inventory—Fast Screen for Medical Patients Beck Anxiety Inventory Beck Hopelessness Scale Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation Clark-Beck Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory Beck Youth Inventories— Second Edition COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Academy of Cognitive Therapy (unvw.acadeviyofct.org) Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (umnv.abct.org) British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (www.babcp com) European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (WWW.eabet com) International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy (www.lhe-iacp.com) Appendix C COGNITIVE THERAPY RATING SCALE The following rating scale, used in major research studies and by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy as a measure of competency, is used with permission The scale and the accompanying manual can be found at www.academyofct org Therapist: _ Patient: _ Date of Session: _ Tape ID #: _ Rater: _ Date of Rating: _ Sessions #: () Videotape () Audiotape () Live Observation Directions: For each item, assess the therapist on a scale from to 6, and record the rating on the line next to the item number Descriptions are provided for even-numbered scale points If you believe the therapist falls between two of the descriptors, select the intervening odd number (1, 3, 5) For example, if the therapist set a very good agenda but did not establish priorities, assign a rating of a rather than a or If the descriptions for a given item occasionally not seem to apply to the session you are rating, feel free to disregard them and use the more general scale below: 0: Poor 1: Barely Adequate 2: Mediocre 3: Satisfactory 4: Good 5: Very Good 6: Excellent Please not leave any item blank For all items, focus on the skill of the therapist, taking into account how difficult the patient seems to be Part I GENERAL THERAPEUTIC SKILLS _1 AGENDA Therapist did not set agenda Therapist set agenda that was vague or incomplete Therapist worked with patient to set a mutually satisfactory agenda that included specific target problems (e.g., anxiety at work, dissatisfaction with marriage) Therapist worked with patient to set an appropriate agenda with target problems, suitable for the available time Established priorities and then followed agenda _2 FEEDBACK Therapist did not ask for feedback to determine patient's understanding of, or response to, the session Therapist elicited some feedback from the patient, but did not ask enough questions to be sure the patient understood the therapist’s line of reasoning during the session or to ascertain whether the patient was satisfied with the session Therapist asked enough questions to be sure that the patient understood the therapist’s line of reasoning throughout the session and to determine the patient’s reactions to the session •The therapist adjusted his/her behavior in response to the feedback when appropriate Therapist was especially adept at eliciting and responding to verbal and nonverbal feedback throughout the session (e.g., elicited reactions to session, regularly checked for understanding, helped summarize main points at end of session) _3 UNDERSTANDING Therapist repeatedly failed to understand what the patient explicitly said and thus consistently missed the point Poor empathic skills Therapist was usually able to reflect or rephrase what the patient explicitly said, but repeatedly failed to respond to more subtle communication Limited ability to listen and empathize Therapist generally seemed to grasp the patient's “internal reality” as reflected by both what the patient explicitly said and what the patient communicated in more subtle ways Good ability to listen and empathize Therapist seemed to understand the patient’s “internal reality” thoroughly and was adept at communicating this understanding through appropriate verbal and nonverbal responses to the patient (e.g., the tone of the therapist’s response conveyed a sympathetic understanding of the patient's “message”) Excellent listening and empathic skills _4 INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS Therapist had poor interpersonal skills Seemed hostile, demeaning, or in some other way destructive to the patient Therapist did not seem destructive, but had significant interpersonal problems At times, therapist appeared unnecessarily impatient, aloof, insincere or had difficulty conveying confidence and competence Therapist displayed a satisfactory degree of warmth, concern, confidence, genuineness, and professionalism No significant interpersonal problems Therapist displayed optimal levels of warmth, concern, confidence, genuineness, and professionalism, appropriate for this particular patient in this session _5 COLLABORATION Therapist did not attempt to collaborate with patient Therapist attempted to collaborate with patient, but had difficulty either defining a problem that the patient considered important or establishing rapport Therapist was able to collaborate with patient, focus on a problem that both patient and therapist considered important, and establish rapport Collaboration seemed excellent; therapist encouraged patient as much as possible to take an active role during the session (e.g., by offering choices) so they could function as a “team.” _6 PACING AND EFFICIENT USE OF TIME Therapist made no attempt to structure therapy time Session seemed aimless Session had some direction, but the therapist had significant problems with structuring or pacing (e.g., too little structure, inflexible about structure, too slowly paced, too rapidly paced) Therapist was reasonably successful at using time efficiently Therapist maintained appropriate control over flow of discussion and pacing Therapist used time efficiently by tactfully limiting peripheral and unproductive discussion and by pacing the session as rapidly as was appropriate for the patient Part II CONCEPTUALIZATION, STRATEGY, AND TECHNIQUE _7 GUIDED DISCOVERY Therapist relied primarily on debate, persuasion, or ‘‘lecturing.’’ Therapist seemed to be “cross-examining” patient, putting the patient on the defensive, or forcing his/her point of view on the patient Therapist relied too heavily on persuasion and debate, rather than guided discovery However, therapist’s style was supportive enough that patient did not seem to feel attacked or defensive Therapist, for the most part, helped patient see new perspectives through guided discovery (e.g., examining evidence, considering alternatives, weighing advantages and disadvantages) rather than through debate Used questioning appropriately Therapist was especially adept at using guided discovery during the session to explore problems and help patient draw his/ her own conclusions Achieved an excellent balance between skillful questioning and other modes of intervention FOCUSING ON KEY COGNITIONS OR BEHAVIORS Therapist did not attempt to elicit specific thoughts, assumptions, images, meanings, or behaviors Therapist used appropriate techniques to elicit cognitions or behaviors; however, therapist had difficulty finding a focus or focused on cognitions/behaviors that were irrelevant to the patient’s key problems Therapist focused on specific cognitions or behaviors relevant to the target problem However, therapist could have focused on more central cognitions or behaviors that offered greater promise for progress Therapist very skillfully focused on key thoughts, assumptions, behaviors, etc., that were most relevant to the problem area and offered considerable promise for progress _9 STRATEGY FOR CHANGE {Note: For this item, focus on the quality of the therapist’s strategy for change, not on how effectively the strategy was implemented or whether change actually occurred.) Therapist did not select cognitive-behavioral techniques Therapist selected cognitive-behavioral techniques; however, either the overall strategy for bringing about change seemed vague or did not seem promising in helping the patient Therapist seemed to have a generally coherent strategy for change that showed reasonable promise and incorporated cognitive-behavioral techniques Therapist followed a consistent strategy for change that seemed very promising and incorporated the most appropriate cognitive-behavioral techniques _10 APPLICATION OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL TECHNIQUES (Note: For this item, focus on how skillfully the techniques were applied, not on how appropriate they were for the target problem or whether change actually occurred.) Therapist did not apply any cognitive-behavioral techniques Therapist used cognitive-behavioral techniques, but there were significant flaws in the way they were applied Therapist applied cognitive-behavioral techniques with moderate skill Therapist very skillfully and resourcefully employed cognitive- behavioral techniques _11 HOMEWORK Therapist did not attempt to incorporate homework relevant to cognitive therapy Therapist had significant difficulties incorporating homework (e.g., did not review previous homework, did not explain homework in sufficient detail, assigned inappropriate homework) Therapist reviewed previous homework and assigned “standard” cognitive therapy homework generally relevant to issues dealt with in session Homework was explained in sufficient detail Therapist reviewed previous homework and carefully assigned homework drawn from cognitive therapy for the coming week Assignment seemed “custom-tailored” to help patient incorporate new perspectives, test hypotheses, experiment with new behaviors discussed during session, etc Part III ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS 12 a Did any special problems arise during the session (e.g., nonadherence to homework, interpersonal issues between therapist and patient, hopelessness about continuing therapy, relapse)? YES NO _b If yes: Therapist could not deal adequately with special problems that arose Therapist dealt with special problems adequately, but used strategies or conceptualizations inconsistent with cognitive therapy Therapist attempted to deal with special problems using a cognitive framework and was moderately skillful in applying techniques Therapist was very skillful at handling special problems using cognitive therapy framework 13 Were there any significant unusual factors in this session that you feel justified the therapist’s departure from the standard approach measured by this scale? YES (Please explain below) NO Part IV OVERALL RATINGS AND COMMENTS 14 How would you rate the clinician overall in this session, as a cognitive therapist? 0: Poor 1: Barely Adequate 2: Mediocre 3: Satisfactory 4: Good 5: Very Good  6: Excellent 15 If you were conducting an outcome study in cognitive therapy, you think you would select this therapist to participate at this time (assuming this session is typical)? 0: Definitely Not 1: Probably Not 2: Uncertain- Borderline 3: Probably Yes 4: Definitely Yes 16 How difficult did you feel this patient was to work with? 0: Not Difficult - Very Receptive 1: 2: 3: Moderately Difficult 4: 5: 6: Extremely Difficult 17 Comments and suggestions for therapist's improvement: 18 Overall rating: 0: Inadequate 1: Mediocre 2: Satisfatory 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent Using the scale above, please give an overall rating of this therapist's skills as demonstrated on this tape Please circle the appropriate number.  CONTENTS Chapter Introduction to Cognitive Behavior Therapy Chapter Overview of Treatment Chapter Cognitive Conceptualization Chapter The Evaluation Session Chapter Structure of the First Therapy Session Chapter Behavioral Activation Chapter Session and Beyond: Structure and Format Chapter Problems with structuring the Therapy Session Chapter Identifying Automatic Thoughts Chapter 10 Identifying Emotions Chapter 11 Evaluating Automatic Thoughts Chapter 12 Responding to Automatic Thoughts Chapter 13 Identifying and Modifying Intermediate Beliefs Chapter 14 Identifying and Modifying Core Beliefs Chapter 15 Additional Cognitive and Behavioral Techniques Chapter 16 Imagery Chapter 17 Homework Chapter 18 Termination and Relapse Prevention Chapter 19 Treatment Planning Chapter 20 Problems in Therapy Chapter 21 Progressing as a Cognitive Behavior Therapist Appendix A Cognitive Case Write-Up Appendix B Cognitive Behavior Therapy Resources Appendix C Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale References -// COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY Basics and Beyond (Second edition) Judith S Beck Foreword by Aaron T Beck THE GUILFORD PRESS - 2011 ... COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY? Aaron Beck developed a form of psychotherapy in the early 1960s that he originally termed cognitive therapy. ” Cognitive therapy is now used synonymously with cognitive. .. understand patients’ difficulties and how to use this understanding to plan treatment and conduct therapy sessions Sally is a nearly ideal patient and allows me to present cognitive behavior therapy. .. offer this guide to cognitive behavior therapy For the past 25 years, she has conducted numerous workshops and trainings in cognitive behavior therapy, supervised both beginners and experienced therapists,