CBT Basics
What are the 3 parts/points of the CBT Triangle?
BONUS: what comes right before the start of the triangle?
Thoughts, Feelings, Behaviors
Activating event comes right before the triangle!
One unhelpful thought we talked about was "Predicting (future) Failure." Using the situation below, what is an example of a "predicting failure" thought you may have?
Situation: you fail one science quiz
Some potential answers:
"I'm going to fail all my science quizzes now because I failed one"
"I'm going to fail this class because I failed a quiz"
"All other quizzes I take at school will end in failure"
What are some positive coping strategies you can use for stress and anxiety?
What do we use the fear/anxiety ladder for?
We use it to come up with "easier" steps for us to tackle our big fear
We also come up with steps that may be more difficult for us to take to tackle our big fear
One type of unhelpful thought we may have involves negatively labeling ourselves. Using the situation below, what is an example of a negative label you might apply to yourself?
Situation: you fail one science quiz
Some potential answers:
"I failed my quiz because I'm not smart/dumb"
"I didn't do well on my quiz because I'm hopeless in school"
"Failing my quiz means I'm a loser"
"I'm a bad student because I failed my science quiz"
Describe how box breathing works?
What is a thought detective/Describe how the thought detective works?
- Someone who finds evidence for the truth in their unhelpful thoughts
- trying to determine if your unhelpful thoughts are accurate in any way
One type of unhelpful thought we may have involves using "should/must" statements. Using the situation below, what is an example of a "should/must" thought?
Situation: you fail one science quiz
Some potential answers:
"I should have studied harder for the quiz"
"I must not be smart because I failed the quiz"
"I should have done well on this quiz because I studied for it"
What is a mantra & why do we use it?
A mantra is something(s) we tell ourselves to remind us of something good/positive/realistic
We use it to remind ourselves that unhelpful thoughts are just thoughts, not things that need to take over our whole mind and affect our whole day
In the example of being anxious about public speaking/presenting in front of our class, what might be some steps we can take to tackle our fear from easy to more difficult?
HINT: think about the fear/anxiety ladder!
easy: practicing presentation by yourself
middle/less easy: presenting in front of your parents or friends
hard: practicing in front of the entire class
Recall that a "Downer" is a type of unhelpful thought that focuses on the negative & ignores the positive. Using the situation below, what is an example of this kind of thought?
Situation: You get a failing grade on your science quiz, but get an A--the highest grade in the class--on your english essay.
"My day is completely ruined because I failed my science quiz"
"This day was bad because I got a bad grade on my science quiz"
How do we use the feelings thermometer/what are the parts?
We use it to rank our feelings and the intensity of those feelings
Bottom of thermometer:
Bottom (range: 0-20%): unbothered, little to no reaction, no behavior change at all
Lower-Middle (range: 30-50%): understanding/recognizing feeling but not super overwhelmed by it not greatly influencing your behavior
Upper-Middle (range: 60-80%): feeling is more intense, might be taking over your thoughts, and starting to change your behavior, i.e, not talking as much in the situation if socially anxious
Top (range: 90-100%): very intense, feeling it a lot or always on your mind, not able to feel other things but this specific emotion i.e, avoiding places, people, or things; fighting with people