SUMMARY OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY BY AARON T.
BECK
Background of Aaron Beck
Father of CBT
▪ Aaron T. Beck was the youngest of five
children, born on July 18, 1921,
Providence, Rhode Island.
▪ His parents were Russian Jewish
Immigrants.
▪ A graduate of Brown University and Yale
School of Medicine, he initially practiced
neurology but switched to psychiatry.
▪ Beck is the pioneering figure in cognitive
therapy, one of the most influential and
empirically validated approaches to
psychotherapy
▪ Beck joined the Department of
Psychiatry of the University of
Pennsylvania in 1954, where he currently
holds the position of Professor (Emeritus)
of Psychiatry.
▪ Beck’s pioneering research established
the efficacy of cognitive therapy for
depression.
▪ He has successfully applied
cognitive therapy to depression,
generalized anxiety and panic disorders,
suicide, alcoholism and drug abuse, eating
disorders, marital and relationship
problems, psychotic disorders, and
personality disorders.
▪ He is the founder of the Beck Institute,
which is a research and training center
directed by one of his four children, Dr.
Judith Beck.
▪ He has eight grandchildren and has
been married for more than 50 years.
View of Problem or Counseling Goals and
Source of Difficulty Major Focus
It is viewed that Goal: Remove biases or
psychological distress distortions in thinking so
are stemming from that individuals may
commonplace processes function more effectively
such as faulty thinking, and bring about more
making incorrect positive feelings, behaviour
inferences on the basis and thinking.
of inadequate or
incorrect information. The counselor help the
client become aware of
automatic thoughts and to
learn to stand back and
question, evaluate and
correct inaccurate,
negative automatic
thoughts.
Major Focus:
Understanding distorted
beliefs and using
techniques to change
maladaptive thinking while
also incorporating affective
and behavioural methods.
Stresses the importance of
belief systems and thinking
in determining behaviour
and feeling.
In the therapeutic process,
attention is paid to
thoughts that individuals
may be unaware of and to
Therapeutic Relationship
This therapy provides a
collaborative and practical
manner.
Collaborative Empiricism –
the therapist work together
with clients to help them
discover themselves the
maladaptive nature of their
automatic thoughts and core
beliefs.
Three main components of
Collaborative Empiricism:
1. Client and Therapist work
together collaboratively.
2. The therapist employs
Socratic questioning to
uncover the client’s
idiosyncratic and
maladaptive cognitive rules
or thinking patterns.
3. The therapist uses
Socratic questioning and a
variety of different techniques▪ Termination
to help clients evaluate or
test validity or usefulness of
their automatic thoughts or
core beliefs.
The therapist may use
listening skills that focus on
the client’s feelings to further
understand the client’s
Steps and Techniques Used
Steps:
▪ Guided Discovery Approach
also called as Socratic
Dialogue- used to help clients
learn about their inaccurate
thinking.
▪ Three Question Technique
1. What is the evidence of the
belief?
2. How else can you interpret
the situation
3. If it is true, What are the
implications?
▪ Specifying Automatic
Thoughts – ask the client to
discuss and to record negative
thought.
▪ Homework – specific
assignments are given to help
the client collect data, test
cognitive and behavioural
changes and work on material
developed in previous session.
▪ Session Format
Techniques:
▪ Generating Problem List
▪ Collaborative Interviewing
▪ Psychoeducation
▪ Self-Rating Scale
▪ Cognitive-Behavioral Self-
Monitoring (thought record)
▪ Making Decisions
Limitations and Criticisms
The therapy has been
criticized for focusing too
much on the power of positive
thinking; being too superficial
and simplistic; denying the
importance of the past; being
too technique oriented;
working only on eliminating
symptoms; but failing to
explore the underlying causes
of difficulties; ignoring the role
of unconscious factors; and
neglecting the role of feeling.
Dattilo admits that CBT
places central emphasis on
cognition and behaviour,
emotions is not ignored in the
therapy process; rather he
believes that emotion is a by-
product of cognition and
behaviour and is addressed
in a different fashion.
Automatic thoughts and
cognitive schemas may not
easily for the client to grasp,
as they are construct rather
than observable behaviours.
There is an overemphasis on
the client’s responsibility for
problems and not enough
attention to social forces such
▪ He has authored and co-authored 600 important belief system. concerns and to develop
scholarly articles and 25 books and won relationship.
various prestigious awards. The client also takes
responsibility for progress by
completing assigned
homework or task.
▪ Relaxation
▪ Mindfulness technique
▪ Examining Advantages and
Disadvantages
as violence that cause
problems.
Therapists attend to client’s
feelings, their emphasis on
cognitive distortions can be
as seen as blaming the client
and not being empathic with
his distress.

Core Beliefs
Cognitive Theory as the Basis of CBT Helpless core beliefs
The theoretical assumptions of cognitive therapy are: (1) that people’s internal
communication is accessible to introspection, (2) that clients’ beliefs have highly personal “I am incompetent.”
meanings, and (3) that these meanings can be discovered by the client rather than being “I am ineffective.”
taught or interpreted by the therapist (Weishaar, 1993). “I can’t
do anything right.”
“I am helpless.”
“I am powerless.”
“I am weak.”
“I am vulnerable.”
“I am a victim.”
“I am needy.”
“I am trapped.”
“I am out of control.”
“I am a failure.”
“I am defective”
“I am not good enough” [in
terms of
achievement].
“I am a loser.”
Unlovable core beliefs Worthless core beliefs
“I am worthless.”
“I am unlovable.” “I am unacceptable.”
“I am unlikeable.” “I am bad.”
“I am undesirable.” “I am a waste.”
“I am unattractive.” “I am immoral.”
“I am unwanted.” “I am dangerous.”
“I am uncared for.” “I am toxic.”
“I am different.” “I am evil.”
“I am bad [so others will “I don’t
not love me].” deserve to live.”
“I am defective [so others
will not love me].”
“I am not good enough [to
be loved by others].”
“I am bound to be
rejected.”
“I am bound to be
abandoned.”
“I am bound to be alone.”

Categories of core beliefs. Adapted from Cognitive therapy for challenging problems:
What to do when the basics don’t work. Copyright 2005 by Judith S. Beck. New York:
Automatic Thoughts Guilford Press.
• a thought that “pops” into your mind and shapes the particular emotion experienced
(e.g., fear, annoyance, excitement) and the resulting behaviour (e.g., escape, Cognitive Distortions
confrontation, warm greeting). These are systematic errors in reasoning that lead to faulty assumptions and
• Automatic thoughts are usually so brief and quickly overridden by your awareness of misconceptions.
the emotions that follow from them that you may not even notice them. • Arbitrary inferences refer to making conclusions without supporting and relevant
evidence.
• Selective abstraction consists of forming conclusions based on an isolated detail of an
event.
• Overgeneralization is a process of holding extreme beliefs on the basis of a single Similarities and Differences of CBT and REBT
incident and applying them inappropriately to dissimilar events or settings Similarities
• Magnification and minimization consist of perceiving a case or situation in a greater or
▪ Cognition is at the core of human suffering
lesser light than it truly deserves.
• Personalization is a tendency for individuals to relate external events to themselves, ▪ The therapist’s job is to help clients modify distress-producing thoughts.
even when there is no basis for making this connection. It tends to take everything Differences
personally. ▪ Albert Ellis views the therapist as a teacher and does not think that a warm personal
• Labeling and mislabeling involve portraying one’s identity on the basis of imperfections
relationship with a client is essential. In contrast, Beck stresses the quality of the
and mistakes made in the past and allowing them to define one’s true identity.
• Dichotomous or Polarized thinking involves categorizing experiences in either-or therapeutic relationship.
extremes. ▪ REBT is often highly directive, persuasive and confrontive. Beck places more
• Mind Reading involves the assumption that the client knows what other people think, emphasis on the client discovering misconceptions for themselves.
even in the absence of direct evidence.

The Cognitive Developmental Model

Identifying and Modifying Core Belief

▪ Downward arrow technique, you look for central themes in patients’ automatic
thoughts, watch for core beliefs expressed as automatic thoughts, and directly elicit
the core belief.
Presenting Core beliefs
Educate the Client about Core Belief and Monitor operation
Developing New Core Belief
Old core belief New core belief
“I’m (completely) unlovable.” “I’m generally a likable person”
“I’m bad.” “I’m okay.”
“I’m powerless.” “I have control over many things.”
“I’m defective.” “I’m normal, with both strengths and weaknesses.”
Strengthen New Core Belief
Modifying Negative Core Belief
Using different Technique

References:
BECK, J. (2011). Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Second Edition – Basics and Beyond. The Guilford Press, A Division of Guilford
Publications, Inc.,72 Spring Street, New York
COREY, G. (2009). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy 8 th Edition. Thompson Brooks/Cole, . 10 Davis Drive
Belmont, CA, United States of America, pp. 272-300
SOMMERS & FLANAGAN. Counseling and PsychotherapyTheory in Context and Practice Skills, Strategies and Techniques.
SHARF, R. S. (2008). Theories of Psychotherapy and Counseling Concepts and Cases 4 th Edition. 10 Davis Drive Belmont, CA,
United States of America, pp. 334