Beck's Cognitive Therapy

Frank Wills is an independent cognitive psychotherapist, supervisor, and trainer in Bristol, and a tutor at the University of Wales, Newport.

Introduction. Part I: Theory. Prelude: Beck and His group. Cognitive Therapy is Organised Around a Formulation. Different Problem Areas in Cognitive Therapy are Marked Out by Specific Cognitive Themes. Cognitive Therapy Varies According to the Areas to Which it is Applied. Cognitive Functioning is Organised Around the Existence of Deep Schemas. It is Helpful to Understand the Evolutionary Underpinnings of Psychological Problems. Beck has Described a Variety of Levels and Types of Cognition. Cognitive Distortions Play a Key Role in Emotional Problems But Are Not necessarily ‘Irrational.’ Images Also Contain Key Elements of Cognition Distortions. Cognition, Emotion and Behaviour Interact with Mutual and Reciprocal Influence on Each Other. Safety Behaviours, Including Avoidance, Reassurance Seeking and Hyper-vigilance, Play a Crucial Role in Maintaining Anxiety. Strategies that Address Negative Attention Bias Strengthen the Cognitive Therapy Model. Meta-Cognition – The Way People Think About Thinking – Also Influences the Way They Feel and Behave. Promoting Mindfulness of and Mindful Attention to Negative Thoughts is Likely to Form a Major Part of Cognitive Therapy in Future. Beckian Epistemology has a Clear Process for Developing Appropriate Therapeutic Knowledge for Cognitive Therapists to Follow. Protocol Development and the Specification of Skills Have Proved Important Factors in Linking CBT Theory and Practice. Conclusion to Part 1. Part II: Practice. Beck’s Cognitive Therapy – A Principled Model: 15 Points About the Practice Model. Cognitive Therapists use Formulation to Focus Therapeutic Work. Cognitive Therapists, Like Other Therapists, Use Formulation to Tackle Interpersonal and Alliance Issues. Cognitive Therapy Requires a Sound Therapeutic Relationship. Cognitive Therapists Stress the Importance of Collaboration in the Therapeutic Relationship. Cognitive Therapy is Brief and Time-limited. Cognitive Therapy is Structured and Directional. Cognitive Therapy is Problem- and Goal-oriented. Cognitive Therapy Initially Emphasises the Present Time Focus. Cognitive Therapy Uses an Educational Model. Homework is a Central Feature of Cognitive Therapy. Cognitive Therapists Teach Clients to Evaluate and Modify their Thoughts. Cognitive Therapy Uses Various Methods to Change Cognitive Content. Cognitive Therapy Uses a Variety of Methods to Change Cognitive Processes. Cognitive Therapy Uses a Variety of Methods to Promote Behavioural Change. Cognitive Therapists Have Developed the Measurement of Therapist Competence. Summary and Review of Part 2. Conclusion.