Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Welcome to the world of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), where cutting-edge treatment meets the latest frontiers of psychology research. CBT isn't your run-of-the-mill talk therapy; it's a type of talk therapy that can be a transformative journey into the power of behavior change, backed by an impressive track record in countless clinical trials. It has been proven to be a versatile tool that conquers anxiety, defeats depression, and tackles a myriad of psychological hurdles. CBT offers a treasure trove of techniques, all geared towards a singular mission: reshaping self-defeating thoughts, reigning in overwhelming emotions, and turning ineffective behavior on its head. In the realm of CBT, innovation thrives, giving rise to a multitude of specialized interventions and techniques, each designed to tackle a unique set of challenges. Prepare to discover some of the most potent and game-changing CBT techniques and CBT interventions that promise to elevate your thinking, uplift your mood, and supercharge your behavior.

Cognitive Techniques

Cognitive Restructuring

Cognitive restructuring (sometimes referred to as cognitive reappraisal) is a cognitive therapy technique aimed at learning to recognize dysfunctional, negative thinking patterns, called CBT cognitive distortions, that cause negative feelings. You can learn about one such distortion here: overgeneralization. Unlike "the power of positive thinking," the goal of cognitive restructuring is not merely to focus on positive thoughts. Instead, cognitive restructuring aims to use these interventions to develop more rational, grounded ways of reframing challenging situations. Cognitive restructuring is not so much a technique in and of itself, but more a collection of different tools to help improve thinking. This form of CBT is often referred to as cognitive therapy. In this type of therapy, your CBT therapist may ask you to track thoughts and feelings using worksheets (a more effective form of journaling), identify cognitive distortions, and engage in behavioral experiments to test whether your thoughts are true. All of these cognitive restructuring techniques are laid out in detail in this free online CBT workbook.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a cognitive behavior therapy technique borrowed from Buddhist meditation and philosophy. The goal of mindfulness is to help people disengage from ruminating or obsessing about negative things and redirect their attention to what is actually happening in the present moment. Mindfulness is the subject of a lot of new research in psychology and represents the cutting edge of psychotherapy practice. Significant research has shown mindfulness to be effective in improving concentration, pain management, and emotion regulation. You can practice mindfulness right now using the mindfulness STOP technique, or the skill known as “half smile.”

Problem-Solving

Problem-solving therapy is a useful CBT strategy that helps clients successfully confront challenging issues and discover straightforward answers. It can be thought of as developing a toolbox full of problem-solving tools. This treatment helps people by breaking down large, complex problems into smaller, more manageable bits, making it simpler to find answers and a clear path forward. Through the course of therapy, clients learn to think in smaller steps, brainstorm ideas, and build strategies to overcome obstacles. So, whether struggling with academic problems, friendship troubles, or any other difficulty, Problem-solving therapy provides the tools needed to discover answers and make things better.

Cognitive Defusion

An effective therapeutic method for dealing with unfavorable or negative thoughts and thought patterns is cognitive defusion. At a very basic level, cognitive defusion is about learning to see thoughts as merely thoughts and to choose whether or not to engage with them.  By distancing from unhelpful thoughts, it becomes easier to be aware of thoughts without allowing them to dictate your behavior. Cognitive defusion helps people make better decisions and feel more in control of their behavior. The topic of much recent research, cognitive defusion, is a core component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Values Clarification

Values clarification is a cognitive behavioral therapy strategy used to aid people in identifying their true priorities in life through guided discovery. It is about creating a roadmap for your own journey. By clarifying what is important or what gives you a sense of fulfillment or happiness, it becomes easier to make choices and establish objectives that are consistent with your beliefs. Clarifying your values may help you make decisions that contribute to a more fulfilling and meaningful existence and keep you committed to a course of action that may be difficult in the short term but is ultimately rewarding. 

Behavioral Techniques

Systematic Exposure

Exposure therapy is a cognitive behavior therapy technique that helps people systematically approach what they fear and would otherwise avoid. Generally, fear and anxiety cause people to avoid a lot of situations. Paradoxically, avoidance of feared situations is what actually maintains feelings of fear and anxiety. Through systematic exposure, people master feared situations one by one and are thus able to tackle increasingly difficult exposure assignments. Exposure is one of the most effective psychological treatments that exist, having a 90% effectiveness rate with some anxiety disorders, and is generally considered the most effective component of CBT for anxiety. It is considered the gold-standard treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.

Activity Scheduling

Activity scheduling is a cognitive behavioral therapy technique designed to help people increase behaviors they should be doing more. Identifying and scheduling helpful behaviors, such as meditating, going for a walk, or working on a project, it increases the likelihood of their getting them done. This technique is especially helpful for people who do not engage in many rewarding activities due to depression or people who have difficulty completing tasks due to procrastination. Activity scheduling is a core component of a treatment called behavioral activation, the most effective treatment for depression and other mood disorders.

Shaping

This cognitive behavior therapy technique, also known as successive approximation, works for people who have difficulty completing a task, either due to a lack of familiarity with the task or because it feels overwhelming for some reason. This strategy works by helping people master an easier task similar to the more difficult one. It’s akin to practicing addition and subtraction before learning long division. Once you are practiced at addition and subtraction, long division isn’t as daunting. Likewise, by having rehearsed one behavior, one that is slightly more difficult feels more manageable.

Skills Training

A lot of people’s problems result from not having the appropriate skills to achieve their goals. Skills training is a cognitive behavioral therapy technique implemented to remedy such skills deficits. For instance, if you have difficulty relaxing, the skill known as progressive muscle relaxation is taught and practiced throughout therapy to improve your ability to relax on cue. Therapy sessions are spent learning and practicing these new skills. Common areas for skills training include social skills training, communication training, relaxation training, coping skills training, muscle relaxation, and assertiveness training. Usually, skills training takes place through direct instruction, modeling, and role-plays, as well as through problem-solving therapy. 

Contingency Management

A foundational cognitive behavioral therapy method called contingency management increases desirable behavior by using systems of reinforcement and punishment. For instance, if you consistently go to the gym after work, you could reward yourself with a dinner at a nice restaurant. This approach is predicated on the notion that your choices are shaped by the results they have. A potent strategy for promoting constructive behavior and developing beneficial habits, a long tradition of behavioral research supports its use with everything from weight loss to reducing substance use.

Stimulus Control

A behavioral intervention known as stimulus control is frequently used in psychology and therapy to address a variety of behavioral disorders, especially those that are related to habits and addictions. This strategy aims to change the environmental cues or stimuli that cause particular behavior. People can have more control over their reactions and change their behavior by recognizing and modifying these triggers. For instance, stimulus control in the context of quitting smoking can entail recognizing particular circumstances or settings that trigger the impulse to smoke and then changing those cues or avoiding them entirely. This method is based on the notion that the environment has a significant impact on behavior and that people may successfully change and shape their behavior patterns by efficiently regulating these environmental influences.

These and other CBT techniques have been widely researched and are considered the gold standard treatment for most psychological problems and disorders. These interventions can be found in treatments such as CBT for GAD (aka generalized anxiety disorder), CBT for social anxiety, and CBT for self-esteem. They are even included in CBT for bug phobia!

For more in-depth information about each of these cognitive behavior therapy techniques, visit the CBT Exercises page. You can also learn more in-depth information about CBT from this list of the best CBT books.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles is a therapy practice of expert psychologists with the highest level of training and experience in providing evidence-based treatment. Click the button below to ask a question or schedule a consultation to determine whether CBT is right for you.