In Ellis’s rational–emotive behavior therapy (REBT) (Ellis 1962), the aim is to eliminate self-defeating beliefs through a rational examination of them. Anxious persons, for example, may create their own problems by making unrealistic demands on themselves or others, such as, ‘I must win love from everyone.

Types of Treatment

The psychoanalyst uses various techniques as encouragement for the client to develop insights into their behavior and the meanings of symptoms, including inkblots, parapraxes, free association, interpretation (including dream analysis), resistance analysis and transference analysis.

Behavioral therapy is a term used to describe a broad range of techniques used to change maladaptive behaviors. The goal is to reinforce desirable behaviors and eliminate unwanted ones.

Therapeutic Techniques

• CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) The belief of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is that a person’s mood is directly related to the person’s thoughts.
• DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) Skills.
• Play Therapy.
• Sand Tray Therapy.
• EMDR(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

Behavioral techniques are a core component of many evidence-based psychotherapies, including Prolonged Exposure, CBT for Insomnia, and CBT for Depression, just to name a few. These techniques have in common a focus on changing behaviors to improve mood and overall functioning.

How to Use Cognitive Restructuring

• Step 1: Calm Yourself. If you’re still upset or stressed by the thoughts you want to explore, you may find it hard to concentrate on using the tool.
• Step 2: Identify the Situation.
• Step 3: Analyze Your Mood.
• Step 4: Identify Automatic Thoughts.
• Step 5: Find Objective Supportive Evidence.

Positive reinforcement

Behavior therapy is focused on helping an individual understand how changing their behavior can lead to changes in how they are feeling. The goal of behavior therapy is usually focused on increasing the person’s engagement in positive or socially reinforcing activities.

In behavior therapy, parents and children learn to promote desirable behaviors and reduce unwanted behaviors. One common trap that families fall into is unintentionally rewarding the wrong behavior. For example, take the teen who has not finished his homework, but really wants to take the car.

The key concepts of behavior therapy are that it “is grounded on a scientific view of human behavior that accommodates a systematic and structured approach to counseling” (Corey, 2013, p. 250). The attention is focused on the behavior of the person.

A List of the Most Common Cognitive Distortions

1. All-or-Nothing Thinking / Polarized Thinking.
2. Overgeneralization.
3. Mental Filter.
4. Disqualifying the Positive.
5. Jumping to Conclusions – Mind Reading.
6. Jumping to Conclusions – Fortune Telling.
7. Magnification (Catastrophizing) or Minimization.
8. Emotional Reasoning.

The goal of cognitive behavior therapy is to teach people that while they cannot control every aspect of the world around them, they can take control of how they interpret and deal with things in their environment.

Therapy forms such as rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have been shown to be effective in the process of readjusting automatic thoughts, improving moods, and fostering positive behaviors and a greater sense of well-being.

“Reframing” is the CBT technique for stopping cognitive distortions. It is the developed habit of consciously changing how you feel during detrimental moments of cognitive distortions. “When we have intense, negative emotions – such as depression and anxiety – our thoughts are often overly negative.

There are numerous cognitive distortions that we engage in all the time. One common distortion is mind reading. Mind reading is assuming what someone else is thinking without having much to go on. Mind reading often leads to depression and anxiety, especially social anxiety.

THE CHALLENGE: Embrace the positives and take pride in accomplishments. Evaluate the thoughts and take away the negativity. Instead of terms such as “I got lucky”, believe “I was prepared” or “I worked really hard”. Increasing the positives will create a positive outlook and increase self-esteem.

What can I do to overcome disqualifying the positive? If you find it difficult to accept praise or compliments, you can start by saying a simple, sincere “Thank you” or “I appreciate that.” Then, take a little time later to imagine what your life would be like if you believed the words were true.

How can you use healthy thinking to cope with anxiety?

1. Notice and stop your thoughts. The first step is to notice and stop your negative thoughts or “self-talk.” Self-talk is what you think and believe about yourself and your experiences.
2. Ask about your thoughts.
3. Choose your thoughts.

Identifying Irrational Thoughts

1. Catastrophizing. Seeing only the worst possible outcome in everything.
2. Minimization.
3. Grandiosity.
4. Personalization.
5. Magical thinking.
6. Leaps in logic.
7. “All or nothing” thinking.
8. Paranoia.

What Qualifies as Irrational Thoughts?

• Thoughts of harming yourself or others.
• Persistent thoughts of others falling ill or dying.
• Unjustified worry of financial hardship.
• Fear that no one likes you, and that you will always be alone.

Irrational thinking can show up in many forms. It’s sneaky like that. Although irrational thinking can be associated with many mental health diagnoses, it shows up most often with anxiety.

Step 1: Think of the first thing you want to say or do in response to the irrational person—which is usually to defend yourself—and don’t do it. Take a breath and exhale. Step 2: Think of the second thing you want to say or do—often getting even or giving an ultimatum—and don’t do that either. Take a breath and exhale.

Unwanted intrusive thoughts are stuck thoughts that cause great distress. They seem to come from out of nowhere, arrive with a whoosh, and cause a great deal of anxiety. The content of unwanted intrusive thoughts often focuses on sexual or violent or socially unacceptable images.

In some cases, intrusive thoughts are the result of an underlying mental health condition, like OCD or PTSD. These thoughts could also be a symptom of another health issue, such as: a brain injury. dementia.