The goals and techniques of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Author: Barbara Crăciun, Manuela Răscol
Titu Maiorescu University, Bucharest, Romania
Email: manuela.rascol@gmail.com

According to Beck's model, maladaptive cognitions include general beliefs or schemas about the world, the self, the others, and the future of a person, giving rise to specific and automatic thoughts, most of the times negative in certain situations. The model proposed by Beck argues that therapeutic strategies aimed at changing these maladaptive cognitions lead to changes in the direction of decreasing emotional stress and problematic behaviors (Clark, & Beck, 2010).

The goal in cognitive-behavioral therapy is to change patterns of thinking or behavior that are behind people's difficulties, and so change the way they feel (Wright, & Davis, 1994).


Keywords: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, depression, therapeutic strategies, Socratic dialogues, action plan