Title: 
Headings: Module 9: Identifying Maladaptive Thoughts and Beliefs
Module
 
9:
 
Identifying
 
Maladaptive
 
Thoughts
 
and
 
Beliefs
 

Objectives:
 

What
 
are
 
maladaptive
 
thoughts,
 
and
 
beliefs
 
and
 
why
 
they
 
are
 
important
 
in
 
Brief
 
CBT?
 

When?
 
(Indications/Contraindications)
 

How?
 
(Instructions/Handouts)
 

Explaining
 
Automatic
 
Thoughts
 
to
 
Your
 
Patient
 

Therapist:
 
“So,
 
Pamela,
 
how
 
have
 
you
 
been
 
feeling
 
this
 
week?”
 

Therapist:
 
“Did
 
anything
 
in
 
particular
 
trigger
 
this
 
sad
 
feeling
 
this
 
weekend?”
 

Therapist:
 
“When
 
you
 
were
 
at
 
the
 
wedding
 
and
 
that
 
thought
 
came
 
to
 
you,
 
how
 
did
 
you
 
feel?”
 

Therapist:
 
So,
 
can
 
you
 
see
 
how
 
our
 
thoughts
 
can
 
affect
 
our
 
mood
 
and
 
change
 
the
 
way
 
we
 
are
 
feeling?”
 

Eliciting
 
Automatic
 
Thoughts
 

Therapist:
 
“Tell
 
me
 
more.”
 

Therapist:
 
“Your
 
voice
 
changed
 
a
 
little
 
when
 
you
 
said
 
that;
 
tell
 
me
 
what
 
is
 
going
 
through
 
your
 
mind
 
right
 
now?”
 

Automatic
 
Thoughts
 
Between
 
Sessions
 

Therapist:
 
“Craig,
 
what
 
else
 
were
 
you
 
thinking
 
during
 
this
 
phone
 
call
 
with
 
your
 
wife?”
 

Therapist:
 
“So,
 
that
 
is
 
really
 
three
 
different
 
thoughts
 
that
 
you
 
were
 
having
 
that
 
were
 
creating
 
feelings
 
of
 
anger?”
 

Deciding
 
Which
 
Automatic
 
Thoughts
 
to
 
Focus
 
On
 

Intermediate
 
Beliefs
 

Core
 
Beliefs
 

Example
 
Homework
 
Assignments
 

Supplemental
 
Readings
 

THOUGHT
 
RECORD
 

Helpful
 
Questions
 

Cognitive
 
Distortions
 


Content: These
 
rules
 
guide
 
thoughts
 
and
 
subsequently
 
influence
 
behaviors. Dysfunctional
 
core
 
beliefs
 
drive
 
dysfunctional
 
rules
 
and
 
automatic
 
thoughts. For
 
example,
 
the
 
belief,
 
I
 
am
 
unlovable,
 
may
 
be
 
driving
 
the
 
conditional
 
rule,
 
If
 
I
 
am
 
thin,
 
then
 
I
 
will
 
be
 
loved
 
by
 
others,
 
which
 
may
 
drive
 
obsessive
 
thinking
 
about
 
one’s
 
appearance,
 
excessive
 
exercise,
 
or
 
disordered
 
eating
 
habits. Core
 
beliefs
 
are
 
often
 
formed
 
in
 
childhood
 
and
 
solidified
 
over
 
time
 
as
 
a
 
result
 
of
 
one’s
 
perceptions
 
of
 
experiences. Because
 
individuals
 
with
  
psychological
 
disorders
 
tend
 
to
 
store
 
information
 
consistent
 
with
 
negative
 
beliefs
 
but
 
ignore
 
evidence
 
that
 
contradicts
 
them,
 
core
 
beliefs
 
tend
 
to
 
be
 
rigid
 
and
 
pervasive. Although
 
automatic
 
thoughts
 
are
 
often
 
tied
 
to
 
a
 
specific
 
situational
 
trigger,
 
intermediate
 
and
 
core
 
beliefs
 
are
 
more
 
global
 
and
 
cut
 
across
 
domains. Beck
 
suggests
 
that
 
individuals
 
tend
 
to
 
have
 
core
 
beliefs
 
that
 
involve
 
either
 
interpersonal
 
(“I’m
 
unlovable”)
 
or
 
achievement
 
issues
 
(“I’m
 
incompetent”). When? (Indications/Contraindications)
 
Identifying
 
maladaptive
 
automatic
 
thoughts
 
is
 
the
 
first
 
step
 
in
 
the
 
cognitive
 
component
 
of
 
therapy. The
 
focus
 
of
 
intervention
 
in
 
Brief
 
CBT
 
is
 
the
 
dysfunctional
 
automatic
 
thought.