For example, you may make a small mistake at work and be convinced that it will ruin the project you are working on, that your boss will be furious, and that youll lose your job. If I were to ask you to think of a palm tree, what do you think of? 14) Given those life situations, what are examples of healthier behaviors that you want to be able to engage in? Results can be defined as a set of benefits or consequences that are produced by one particular behavior or set of behaviors. This is a primary goal of CBT and can be practiced with or without the help of a therapist. When you are feeling depressed or negative, it is difficult to recognize that there are positive aspects of life. To try some of these techniques without the help of a therapist, see the next section for worksheets and handouts to assist with your practice. What did we talk about last session that was important? If they do not produce less intense distress or new emotions comprehensively, try identifying new thoughts (sentences) until you find one or two that either reduce the distress or produce new desirable emotions. How are you feeling? Cheers! The second column is where the situation is listed. Have any dysfunctional ideas hindered therapy? Avoid any problems the patient can resolve alone or at another session. Learning more about what provokes certain automatic thoughts makes them easier to address and reverse. These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients with tools to find new pathways to reduce suffering and more effectively cope with life stressors. For a reported problem, ask how upsetting or significant it was, then prioritize according to the severity. You can also try scheduling an activity for each day that provides you with a sense of mastery or accomplishment (Boyes, 2012). Well plan to meet every X weeks, then with less frequency later. . Are they helping you to be the best you can be? In CBT, there are 4 Ps in Case Formulation: They help us understand what might be leading a perceived problem to arise, and what might prevent them from being tackled effectively.