CBT Basics for Children
Thoughts are not facts—they can be challenged and changed.
What does CBT help children understand about their thoughts?
Spontaneous, habitual thoughts linked to emotion.
What are automatic thoughts?
A planned activity to test beliefs and gather evidence.
What is a behavioral experiment?
Solutions and preferred futures.
What does SFBT shift the focus toward?
A model showing how family responses impact the child’s emotions and behaviors.
What is the Family Maintenance Model?
Children need visual, concrete terms to understand abstract concepts.
Why must CBT with children use child-friendly language?
Through drawings, narratives, thought bubbles, or questions like “What’s your heart saying?”
How can a clinician elicit automatic thoughts in young children?
Gradually facing feared situations to reduce avoidance.
What is graded exposure?
Turning a problem into a vision of what the child wants instead.
What is “the great instead” in SFBT?
They influence the child’s anxiety, confidence, and carryover.
Why should parents be included in CBT or SFBT for stuttering?
“Junk thoughts” and “cool thoughts.”
What is one example of child-friendly CBT language?
Explore and challenge their own thinking patterns.
What does Socratic questioning help a child do?
Clients are encouraged to approach situations as a “test,” not assume outcomes.
How is curiosity used in CBT behavioral experiments?
Opening, contracting, describing, scaling, exception finding, complimenting.
What’s the structure of a first SFBT session?
For their child to feel confident speaking in class.
What is an example of a parent’s “best hope” in therapy?
It emphasizes learning by doing, not just talking.
What makes CBT action-oriented for children?
A thought diary.
What tool helps track thoughts, feelings, and events?
Self-disclose to a peer and observe their response.
What is an example of a behavioral experiment for a child who stutters?
To assess and track progress, motivation, or hope.
What are scaling questions used for?
Use coping cards or reinforce positive thinking.
How might SLPs guide parents to support CBT at home?
A key negative thought that drives emotional reactions.
What is a “hot thought” in CBT?
“Suppose that did happen—what would be the worst part?”
What’s a question to help uncover underlying fear?
To build awareness and reduce negative self-perceptions.
Why might an SLP encourage video self-observation?
Explore both the details and broader vision of a child’s preferred future.
What does it mean to “zoom in and pan out”?
To help the child maintain gains and remember what works.
What is the goal of a “belief box” or action plan?