CBT Identifying & Reframing False Beliefs 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client says, 'If I make one mistake at work, I'll lose my job and everything will fall apart.' Which cognitive distortion does this best illustrate?
- Personalization
- Catastrophizing (Correct answer)
- Mind reading
- Overgeneralization
Correct answer: Catastrophizing
Catastrophizing involves magnifying the importance of a negative event and assuming the worst-case scenario will occur.
Question 2: Which technique involves helping a client examine concrete evidence both for and against a held belief?
- Systematic desensitization
- Thought stopping
- Socratic questioning (Correct answer)
- Free association
Correct answer: Socratic questioning
Socratic questioning guides clients to examine evidence objectively, weakening the grip of false beliefs.
Question 3: A client believes, 'Everyone at the party thought I was boring.' This is an example of:
- Emotional reasoning
- Mind reading (Correct answer)
- Labeling
- Should statements
Correct answer: Mind reading
Mind reading involves assuming you know what others are thinking without actual evidence.
Question 4: When reframing a belief, the therapist's primary goal is to:
- Replace the negative belief with a positive one instantly
- Help the client develop a more balanced and evidence-based perspective (Correct answer)
- Convince the client their feelings are wrong
- Eliminate all negative thoughts permanently
Correct answer: Help the client develop a more balanced and evidence-based perspective
Reframing aims to shift perspective toward a balanced, realistic view rather than simply swapping negative for positive.
Question 5: A client insists they 'always' fail, despite recent successes. Which intervention is most appropriate first?
- Behavioral activation
- Reviewing a timeline of actual outcomes (Correct answer)
- Relaxation training
- Role-playing future scenarios
Correct answer: Reviewing a timeline of actual outcomes
Reviewing actual outcomes directly challenges overgeneralized thinking with concrete counterevidence.
Question 6: The belief 'I must be perfect or I am a failure' reflects which core cognitive distortion?
- Dichotomous thinking (Correct answer)
- Personalization
- Fortune telling
- Magnification
Correct answer: Dichotomous thinking
Dichotomous (all-or-nothing) thinking places experiences in only two extreme categories with no middle ground.
Question 7: A therapist asks, 'What would you tell a close friend who had this same belief?' This technique is called:
- Downward arrow technique
- The friend/advisor perspective shift (Correct answer)
- Decatastrophizing
- Graded exposure
Correct answer: The friend/advisor perspective shift
The friend/advisor perspective shift helps clients access a more compassionate, balanced view they can apply to themselves.
CBT Identifying & Reframing False Beliefs 2
A client says, 'If I make one mistake at work, I'll lose my job and everything will fall apart.' Which cognitive distortion does this best illustrate?