Scenarios
Sierra notices that her parents have been acting differently. They often seem agitated and annoyed. Sierra thinks, “I must not be a good enough daughter”
Personalization
Scarlett looks at comments on her Instagram and sees her friends making fun of the outfit she is wearing in one picture. She thinks, “They like to gang up on me. They only pick on me”
Overgeneralization
Dylan just got a math test back. He got a B+, missing only a few questions. The teacher even wrote a positive comment: “Nice improvement from last test!”
“This B+ is awful. I missed two dumb questions — I’m such an idiot. Everyone else probably did better. That comment doesn’t mean anything — she just writes that on everyone’s paper.”
Magnification & Minimalization
AJ tries out for the school basketball team but doesn’t make the cut. He thinks, “I can’t do anything!”
All-or-Nothing Thinking
Hannah is at a party, and her friends are drinking. She doesn’t want to drink, but she thinks, “They won’t like me if I don’t drink”
Avery, age 14, is getting ready for an important soccer game. They always wear the same "lucky hoodie" before games. Today, it’s in the laundry.
“If I don’t wear my lucky hoodie, I’ll definitely lose the game — or worse, I’ll get injured. It’s happened before when I didn’t wear it. I need it, or everything will go wrong.”
Magical Thinking
Leah is about to log on to see if she got accepted into the college she desperately wants to go to. She thinks, “I’m not going to get accepted anywhere... I’m not going to get a job... I’m going to end up homeless”
Catastrophizing
Ashley wins a local singing competition. Her family is proud of her, but she says, “It’s not that big of a deal. The competition was weak- the other girls were much younger than me”
Disqualifying the Positives
Jamal wants to talk to his parents about feeling anxious and overwhelmed, but in the past when he’s tried, they brushed it off or told him to “stop overreacting.” He’s now avoiding the conversation.
“If I open up, they’ll either ignore me or get angry. It’s safer to say nothing.”
Emotional Reasoning
Ethan tells his girlfriend, “You shouldn’t be talking to other guys”
"Should" Statements
A 15-year-old named Jordan walks into group therapy a few minutes late. As they sit down, two peers in the group glance at each other and whisper something quickly, then go quiet. "They’re definitely talking about me. They probably think I’m weird for being late or for what I said last session. Everyone here judges me.”
Mind Reading
Kayden feels like no matter what they do, their parents are always pointing out what they did wrong — forgot to clean, stayed up too late, didn’t do chores perfectly. Even small successes are ignored.
“They don’t see the good things I do. Only my failures matter.”
Disqualifying the Positives
Jalon feels lonely & unlovable. He thinks, “No one cares about me”
Emotional Reasoning
Kayla is asked to present a short project in front of her class next week. As soon as the teacher mentions it, Kayla starts to panic. “I’m going to mess up. I’ll freeze or say something stupid. Everyone will laugh. I just know it’s going to be a disaster.”
Fortune Telling
Sophia has been struggling with low motivation and poor grades. Her parents constantly compare her to her older sister who gets straight As. After another tense dinner conversation, Sophia thinks:
Thought:
“No matter what I do, I’ll never be enough for them. I’m just a disappointment.”
All-or-nothing thinking