Three Component Model
Someone reports: "No one cares about me."
As well as Heavy chest and isolating.
What is the emotion?
what is sadness, shame, loneliness, rejection, or grief?
A person notices anxiety rising before a presentation and spends 10 minutes doing deep breathing.
What is it depends?
If the breathing helps them stay in the situation, it may be coping. If they believe they cannot present without it, it may function as a safety behavior.
Someone misses a party because they're anxious.
What is avoidance?
Someone notices their friend hasn't texted back.
What is immediate antecedent?
"I just need to stop feeling anxious."
What's the therapist wondering?
What is why anxiety feels unacceptable?
Someone reports: Tight jaw, raised voice, and argumentative behavior.
What thought is most important to identify?
What is it depends?
Many jump to anger, but the thought could reveal anger, fear, shame, betrayal, embarrassment, hurt, or grief.
A person journals about an argument every day for two weeks.
What is not enough information?
The key question is whether insight is increasing or whether they are repeatedly reviewing the same material without resolution.
Someone attends the party but spends the entire time on their phone.
What is avoidance?
"They're probably mad at me."
What is three component model: thoughts?
"I have panic attacks completely out of nowhere."
What is the therapist probably looking for?
What are missed triggers/antecedents?
Someone reports: Avoidance, racing heart, and constant planning. They insists the emotion is motivation.
What emotion might a therapist explore?
What is anxiety?
A person leaves a heated conversation and takes a 30-minute walk.
What is could be coping skill or avoidance?
It may be emotion regulation if they return to address the issue.
Someone talks about traumatic events entirely through jokes.
Someone repeatedly checks their phone to see if the friend has responded.
What is three component model: behaviors?
Client: "I don't feel sad."
Later they report: Crying, isolation, loss of interest, and fatigue.
What might the therapist be thinking?
What is the reported experience and the symptoms are not congruent?
Let's explore that.
Someone says: "I don't know what I was thinking."
Which component is most likely outside awareness?
What is thoughts?
A person practices mindfulness whenever painful emotions arise.
When might mindfulness become avoidance?
What is if it is being used to distance from emotions rather than experience them?
Someone can discuss emotions in therapy but cannot experience them in session.
What is intellectualizing?
Someone experiences immediate relief after checking.
What is immediate consequence?
Client: "I don't think about it anymore."
Yet they: Stay busy constantly, avoid reminders, and change the topic whenever it comes up.
What therapeutic question comes next?
What is what happens when you do think about it?
Three people experience the exact same event: Their supervisor says, "Can we meet tomorrow?"
Participant A becomes anxious.
Participant B becomes angry.
Participant C becomes excited.
What most likely differs when using the three component model?
What is the cognitive component?
Someone says: "I've learned to accept my anxiety."
However they: Check exits, carry safety items, seek reassurance, avoid uncertainty.
What evidence might suggest acceptance has not actually occurred?
What is their behavior?
Their behavior indicates ongoing efforts to eliminate or control anxiety.
A participant repeatedly analyzes why they feel anxious rather than actually feeling the anxiety.
What is cognitive avoidance?
Someone becomes increasingly dependent on checking and less confident tolerating uncertainty.
What is long-term consequence?
Client: "I know the fear isn't rational."
Why might insight alone be solving the problem?
What is emotional learning occurs through experience and behavior, not just logic?