CBT & CBC
Cognitive Behavior Therapy & Cognitive Behavior Coaching
Cognitive Behavior Therapy & Cognitive Behavior Coaching Research by RKT
In my studies for a Psychology Degree at Rochester College in Michigan, I wrote about a journal article that sparked this research.
From Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to Cognitive
Behaviour Coaching (CBC)
Michael Neenan
Published online: 23 February 2008
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008
Please find below such research and amazing resources.
Richard Kerry Thompson
Behaviour Coaching (CBC)
Michael Neenan
Coaching has been defined as ‘the art of facilitating the performance, learning and
development of another’ (Downey 1999, p. 15). Facilitating the client’s personal
growth by simply following an action plan is usually insufficient to achieve her
goals. What often blocks the way are the client’s self-limiting/defeating thoughts
and beliefs (e.g. ‘I can’t afford to make any mistakes’), counterproductive
behaviours (e.g. indecisiveness) and troublesome emotions (e.g. prolonged anxiety).
Cognitive behavioural coaching (CBC) helps clients to identify, examine and
change such thoughts and beliefs, develop productive behaviours and become more
skilled at emotional management. The focus is on the client’s current concerns. The
ultimate goal of CBC is for the client to become her own coach to tackle present and
future challenges.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16MlXD_GbvlE3BQI6W25HJ9eP0zHTxTK5/view
ABCDE model
A CBT framework for understanding and dealing with psychological blocks in
coaching is the ABCDE model (Dryden and Neenan 2004; Ellis and MacLaren
1998):
Situational A (activating event) = client’s objective description of the situation—
‘Not presenting at meetings my ideas about developing new products’
Critical A (activating event) = client’s subjective account of the most troubling
aspect of the situation—‘My ideas might be rubbished and I’ll look like a fool’
B = self-limiting/defeating beliefs triggered by the critical A—‘My ideas must
not be rubbished at the meeting. If they are, this will prove I’m a fool’
6 M. Neenan
C = consequences: emotional—intense anxiety at every meeting
behavioural—keeps quiet, looks down to avoid eye contact
physical—continual tension, headaches
interpersonal—keeps distance from colleagues, makes excuses for keeping quiet
cognitive—catastrophic thoughts and images about the aftermath of being
exposed as a ‘fool’
D = disputing or examining these self-defeating beliefs:
1. Is this belief rigid or flexible: does it allow for outcomes other than the one
demanded—his ideas not being rubbished?
2. Is this belief extreme or non-extreme: is it excessive for the person to call
himself a ‘fool’ because his ideas might be criticized or rejected?
3. Does this belief make sense: because the person wants an outcome not to
occur (his ideas not being rubbished) does it follow logically that this
outcome must not occur?
4. Is this belief realistic: where is the evidence that the person’s ideas must not
be rubbished—is he able to control his colleagues’ thoughts?
5. Is keeping this belief helpful: are the costs greater than the benefits?
E = new and effective outlook (adaptive, compassionate, balanced, and self- and
performance-enhancing): ‘I now realise that my belief is rigid, unrealistic and
keeps me stuck. The only way I’m going to find out about the quality of my ideas
is by presenting them. If they are rejected, it is important for me to distinguish
between my ideas being rejected and me rejecting myself because my ideas have
been. If someone does think I’m a fool I certainly don’t have to agree with them.
The foolish thing I am doing is keeping quiet and thereby not developing myself
as a team player and possibly jeopardizing my promotion chances.’The client’s new outlook is lengthy and elaborate because it takes a rounded view of the situation in stark contrast to the all-or-nothing quality of his original self-defeating belief. He was now able to view forthcoming meetings with ‘excited curiosity’ instead of as a potential catastrophe if he speaks up. In order to internalize his new outlook, the client made sure he presented some ideas at every meeting and asked for critical feedback each time.
When teaching the ABCDE model, the coach needs to emphasize that A (events
or other people) does not cause C (but contributes to it); B (beliefs) largely
determines C (consequences). This is an empowering view of how change occurs
because it allows us to develop different beliefs (D?E) about A and, consequently,
modify our reactions at C; if A really did cause C it would be very difficult, if not
impossible, to change our reactions at C as our emotional destiny would be at the
mercy of events or lie in the hands of others.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16MlXD_GbvlE3BQI6W25HJ9eP0zHTxTK5/view
Common Cognitive Distortions
Common Cognitive Distortions
Also known as thinking traps, these distortions result from clients processing
information in a consistently negative, biased way thereby helping to maintain their
current difficulties. Typical distortions include:
From Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to Cognitive Behaviour Coaching (CBC)
All or nothing thinking—viewing events in either/or terms, ‘Either you’re for me
or against me.’
Overgeneralization—drawing sweeping conclusions on the basis of a single
incident or insufficient evidence,
‘As I wasn’t given the lead on this project, I’ll never lead another one.’
Mental filter—only the negative aspects of a situation are noticed, ‘Look at all the
things that have gone wrong this week.’
Catastrophizing—assuming the worst and, if it occurs, your inability to deal with
it, ‘It will be terrible if I don’t get the promotion. I’ll be stuck at this level for ever
and vegetate.’ Musts and shoulds—rigid rules that you impose on yourself and others, ‘I must never show any weaknesses to my colleagues’; ‘Everyone should work as long
and as hard as I do.’
Fallacy of fairness—believing in a just world, ‘Bad things won’t happen to you if
you’re a good, hard working, honest person.’
Perfectionism—striving for standards that are beyond reach or reason (Burns
1980), ‘I must do everything perfectly or else I’m no good. A competent
performance equals failure.’
Clients can learn to identify the distortions in their thinking and determine the
accuracy of them: ‘There’s that all or nothing thinking again about people being for
or against me. Based on the evidence, people have a range of reactions to me, not
simply for or against. I want to develop more balanced thinking about this issue and
stop this extremist nonsense.’
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16MlXD_GbvlE3BQI6W25HJ9eP0zHTxTK5/view
Ten Key Questions to Ask in CBC
Ten Key Questions to Ask in CBC
1. ‘What thoughts are going through your mind in that situation?’ This helps
clients to become aware of and identify negative thoughts linked to unpleasant
feelings, bodily sensations and counterproductive behaviours. A possibly reply
from the client is ‘I don’t know’. This often results from the coach not helping
the client to imagine the situation with video-like clarity. Once this is done,
thoughts and feelings are usually forthcoming.
2. ‘What stops you from ...[following a particular course of action]?’ This is an
assessment question to uncover blocks to change and discover what the
maintaining factors are in holding back the client such as low frustration
tolerance (‘It’s too hard or boring’) or perfectionism. The client might say ‘I’m
not sure’. A way round this is to ask the client to imagine not being stuck and
what would have changed in order for her to move on. Even if the blocks are
practical ones like skills deficits or lack of knowledge, there is often a
psychological block impeding remediation of these practical difficulties, so the
same tactic can be used.
3. ‘What are the short- and long-term costs and benefits of change?’ Some clients
might reply, ‘Lots of benefits’, yet little change is occurring. This might be
because these clients are dwelling on the unarticulated costs of change (‘I’m
worried that it all could go wrong’) while publicly espousing the benefits. What
is ‘hidden’ needs to be uncovered and examined.
4. ‘What is the clear and specific goal you want to achieve?’ This is to clarify the
client’s thinking about goal selection and counter the vagueness of ‘I want to be
happier’ or ‘I want to be more confident’. In what specific contexts does the client want to be more confident and what does more confident actually look like?
5. ‘What’s the problem with making mistakes or experiencing failure?’ ‘Because I don’t like it’ comes the standard reply. On further investigation, clients are often coupling their self-worth to performance failure which therefore has a much deeper and unpleasant resonance than simply not liking it.
6. ‘What advice would you give to someone else struggling with the same issue as yourself?’ This encourages the client to step back from the issue to gain more objectivity in thinking about it. However, as is frequently the case, clients often say, ‘But I wouldn’t follow my own advice.’ This response reveals a double standard which usually involves showing compassion and understanding to others (‘If you miss a few performance targets it’s not the end of the world’), but harsh and unforgiving towards oneself (‘Missing my targets shows how utterly incompetent I am. It does feel like the end of the world’), which would then require further examination to help the client develop a single compas- sionate standard.
7. ‘What would be the first concrete steps towards reaching your goal?’ Once the client’s concerns have been clarified and goals agreed, specific action is now required rather than a general statement of intent, ‘I’d better start getting into gear on this issue.’
8. ‘How will you know you are making progress towards your goals?’ is often
answered by ‘I’ll feel better’. The client is informed that specific behavioural
evidence is required to evaluate progress, not just subjective responses.
9. ‘What are the most valuable ideas and techniques you have got from coaching?’
If the client says ‘I got a lot from it’, the coach needs to encourage her to be
specific.
10. ‘Acting as a self-coach, how will you maintain and strengthen your gains from
coaching?’ ‘Keep at it, I suppose’ might be the doubtful reply. Developing an
idiosyncratic and detailed blueprint for the future reminds the client that self-
coaching needs to become a way of life if his gains are not to decay.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16MlXD_GbvlE3BQI6W25HJ9eP0zHTxTK5/view
Ten Key Questions to Ask in CBC
1. ‘What thoughts are going through your mind in that situation?’
2. ‘What stops you from ...[following a particular course of action]?’
3. ‘What are the short- and long-term costs and benefits of change?’
4. ‘What is the clear and specific goal you want to achieve?’
5. ‘What’s the problem with making mistakes or experiencing failure?’
6. ‘What advice would you give to someone else struggling with the same issue as yourself?’
7. ‘What would be the first concrete steps towards reaching your goal?’
8. ‘How will you know you are making progress towards your goals?’
9. ‘What are the most valuable ideas and techniques you have got from coaching?’
10. ‘Acting as a self-coach, how will you maintain and strengthen your gains from coaching?’
Conclusion
Conclusion
CBC is a powerful way to help clients reach their potential by its focus on both the psychological and practical aspects of goal-achievement. Clients can learn that many obstacles to change are psychologically constructed rather than stand as immutable facts and thereby open up new perspectives which will help them to pursue a more fulfilling life.
self-ac·tu·al·i·za·tion
Dictionary result for self-actualization
noun
the realization or fulfillment of one's talents and potentialities, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone.