Lecture 3 - Cognitive Behavioral Interventions & ACT

Question 1

how to Identify automatic thoughts in session?

Answer 1

• Identifying mood shifts (does somebody get nervous/sad? > what just happened in your thought?)
• Ask questions when you notice a shift in affect
• Have patient describe a problematic situation, be aware when they describe emotions
• Imagery
• Role-play

What was going through your mind just then?

Question 2

methods to modify automatic thoughts

Answer 2

1) examining the evidence
2) cognitive continuum
3) multidimensional evaluation
3) pie chart technique
4) behavioral experiments (=exposure)
5) examining costs and benefits of thoughts
6) role plays
7) coping cards / reminders with more adaptive thoughts
8) Writing exercises (letter to somebody who the played a formative role in a false assumption/belief)

Question 3

socratic dialogue

Answer 3

• No advise
• no judgement
• work together
  slow paced
  -follow perspective of the other
  -process as important as result (=> we don’t have to arrive at a conclusion, we want clients to learn how to observe their own thoughts),
  -asking questions & paraphrasing/summarizing

Question 4

Exposure in ACT

Answer 4

we want to show patient that they can endure negative emotions, you can do things that are important to me, while at the same time feeling a negative emotion

Question 5

Cognitive diffusion:

Answer 5

 People have a tendency to see thoughts as the truth, identify with content of thoughts
 Learning to perceive thoughts, images and memories as what they are > nothing more than bits of language, words and pictures
 Get distance between your thoughts and yourself
 Instead of writing down ‘ I will never achieve my dreams’, write down ‘I am having the thought…’ > feels less distressing
 See mind as producer of continuous thoughts

Question 6

cognitive diffusion exercise

Answer 6

o Make It bizarre (say thought in weird voice)
o Name the story
o Type it out
o Mindfulness exercise

Question 7

commitment - ACT

Answer 7

• No symptom reduction but focus on building meaningful life
• Defining mental health/goals
• Positive psychology: we built strength, resilience (being capable to cope with the inevitable pain of life), not focusing on relieving psychopathology
• Suitable for everybody who is wishing to live a more meaningful, vital life

Question 8

Commitment exercises

Answer 8

 Explore what makes life worth living for the client
 Values indicate direction that you want to with your life, not a goal
 A value shouldn’t be just about ‘feeling good’
 What do you want from life?
 During what periods of your life did you feel inspired, touched truly alive? (and which values played a role there)
 Which movies/books/conversations have touched or changed you? Why were they important (which values were present in them?)