Cognitive-Behavioral Paper Assignment

1456 Words3 Pages

The client being observed is a sophomore at UNH named Mike. Since attending UNH, Mike has displayed symptoms of social phobia. These symptoms include feeling nervous being around large groups of people and having panic attack like episodes. As well as this, he also often confines himself to his room, rarely speaks in class, and does not have very many friends. Though this is the case in college, Mike has not always displayed these symptoms. He suffered a lot of ridicule as a child because of a rare hormonal disorder. This ridicule that he faced adversely affects his current condition. However in high school, this ridicule stopped, and he was able to make close friends and found what he loved to do. Though Mike is nervous about attending therapy, he feels that something needs to be done in order for him to change.
A psychotherapist using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) approach would conceptualize Mary’s symptoms of social phobia as being a result of distorted or irrational thoughts. In CBT, all psychological disturbances can be traced back to the client having one or more dysfunctional thoughts. For example, one of Mike’s cognitions, or thoughts that we are having at any given time, is that he will have a heart attack if he joins in with a large group of people. As a result of having this cognition, he isolates himself by not not going to eat at the dining hall, distancing himself from his classmates, and quitting activities that he is truly very passionate about. Because he thinks this way and displays these behaviors, Mike feels anxious anytime he is put into a situation where he must deal with a large group of people. This provides evidence that one’s cognitions, behavior, and affect impact each other. If you ...

... middle of paper ...

...rection of challenging his core beliefs more, as well as developing core beliefs that are more positive overall.
Mike is an excellent client to focus on for cognitive-behavioral therapy. This is because of the fact that his negative thinking is clearly what causes his social anxiety. With the help of therapist that utilizes the techniques of CBT, Mike would be provided with evidence shows his negative thinking is completely irrational, which ultimately results in him acquiring more positive core beliefs. As core beliefs become more positive, so do automatic thoughts as a result. It is quite normal though at first for clients such as Mike to feel like the future will be grim and nothing will change. However, over the short period of time the client is in CBT, they most often begin to develop coping skills that help them overcome their irrational thoughts.

Open Document