Section outline

  • Learning Objectives 

    By the end of this lecture, students will be able to:

    1.  Define Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and describe its key characteristics and historical development, including the contributions of Aaron T. Beck.
    2. Explain the Cognitive Model and apply it to illustrate the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in real-life or clinical situations.
    3.  Differentiate between the three layers of cognition (automatic thoughts, intermediate beliefs, and core beliefs) and analyze their role in psychological disorders.
    4.  Use core CBT techniques (e.g., Socratic questioning, thought records, behavioral activation) to evaluate dysfunctional thoughts and propose appropriate interventions.
    5.  Assess the effectiveness of CBT based on empirical evidence and construct a basic cognitive-behavioral case formulation for a given clinical example.

    Explore cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): A Practical Guide