Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on the belief that our thinking impacts our feelings and actions. Because of this, CBT treatment focuses on changing how a person thinks with the goal of impacting how they feel and subsequently, how they behave. These changes can lead to a reduction in challenges and negative symptoms. As one of the most widely used therapeutic approaches, CBT can be applied to a variety of presenting concerns and populations. Keep reading to learn 49 CBT questions you can ask clients in therapy sessions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be used with clients who are living with a variety of mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and Axis I disorders. CBT can also be used in the treatment of children who are living with symptoms associated with ADHD, behavioral disorders, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.

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Getting Ready for Your First CBT Therapy Session with a New Client

While CBT can be used with clients who are living with a range of mental health concerns, you likely work within a particular niche or field of counseling. CBT can be used in inpatient treatment centers, partial hospitalization programs, and outpatient treatment programs. The clinical setting that you work in will have a direct impact on how you prepare for your first session and the CBT questions that you utilize.

Being knowledgeable about the paperwork you are expected to complete during your first session will impact how you prepare for your session as well. Using your knowledge and experience from your clinical work will help develop a routine that works best for you.

If possible, take time to review any documentation that has been provided to you before you begin your session. This can help you develop a game plan for your session and help you better understand where your focus should be during your new session. 

Common Questions to Ask CBT Clients

CBT questions can be used during various stages of treatment and during a variety of therapeutic interventions. This includes rating questions, exploring the validity of their thoughts, labeling cognitive distortion, Socratic questions, and working to change automatic thoughts. 

Rating Questions

Rating Questions can be used to rate the intensity of the emotion that your client is experiencing. Rating questions can be helpful in revising personal beliefs and automatic thoughts to work towards healthy cognitions.

Examples

An example of rating questions include:

On a scale of 1 to 5, with one being a mild impact to 5 as severe, how would you rate your experience?

Determining the Validity of Cognitions

Exploring the validity of a clients cognitions is an example of a phase of counseling where CBT questions can be used. Working with our clients to see where their thoughts are not fully valid, can help them see where changes can be made to make clinical gains.

Examples

Examples of CBT questions that could be asked include:

Ask your client what they would encourage a loved one to do if they were in their shoes

Encourage your client to take their concern to an extreme, and explore their thoughts afterwards

Encourage your client to imagine the worst possible result and explore ways in which they could respond to, or cope with the worst-case scenario

Cognitive Distortions and Automatic Thoughts

Cognitive distortions and automatic thoughts that anyone can have. For some, these automatic thoughts can have a significant impact on feelings and behaviors. Before you can work to change your thoughts, it is important to understand which thoughts are troubling your client. CBT questions can be used to guide exploration into the presence of different cognitive distortions and explore their impact. 

Examples:

Examples of CBT questions that could be asked include:

Are you confusing a thought with a fact?

Are you jumping to conclusions?

Are you assuming that your view of things is the only possible way?

What is the effect of thinking the way you do? Advantages? Disadvantages?

Are you asking questions that have no answers?

Are you using ultimatum words in your thinking?

Are you condemning yourself as a total person or just for 1 event that occurred?

Are you focusing on your weaknesses rather than your strengths?

Are you blaming yourself for something that is not your fault?

Are you taking something personally that has little or nothing do with you?

Are you expecting yourself to be perfect?

Are you using a double standard?

Are you paying attention only to the negative things?

Are you overestimating your chances of disaster?

Are you exaggerating the importance of an event(s)?

Are you predicting the future before it happens (instead of waiting to see how it unfolds)?

Are you assuming nothing can change your situation?

Are you worrying about the way you think things should be instead of facing things as they are?

Socratic Questions

The questions you ask will be impacted by the specific distortion that you are looking to explore. Using a list of Socratic Questions with CBT can be used to guide an exploration of a thought pattern that your client has been experiencing. Socratic Questions can be defined differently, so using a worksheet like the one provided by TherapyByPro can be helpful. It is important to keep in mind that CBT takes a non-confrontational approach, and counselors work to guide their clients as they develop new perceptions of their challenges and concerns.  

Examples

Here are some Socratic question examples you can ask:

Clarification Questions

What is a thought you’d like to question?

Why do you say that?

What do you mean by that?

What do you think is the main problem?

Could you discuss this point further?

Assumption Questions

Are you making any assumptions in your thought?

Why would you make this assumption?

What else could you assume instead?

Can you verify this assumption?

Can you disprove this assumption?

Probing Questions

Could you tell me about an example?

What do you think causes this to happen?

Could you be reading the evidence incorrectly?

Are you looking at all the evidence or just evidence that supports your thought?

Are you basing your thought on facts or your feelings?

Are you having this thought out of habit or do the facts support it?

Consequences Questions

What are the short-term consequences of this thought / assumption?

What are the long-term consequences of this thought / assumption?

How does this thought / assumption affect you negatively?

How does this thought / assumption affect you positively?

Perspective Questions

What is evidence that agrees with this thought?

What is evidence that goes against this thought?

How would someone else think in your situation?

Did someone pass this thought or belief to you?

What could have been a better question to ask or thought to have?

Questioning the Question Questions

Why do you think I asked you this question?

Why is this question important?

Final Thoughts On Asking the Right Questions in CBT Therapy

CBT questions can be a powerful tool when working with our clients. When we keep the goals of CBT in mind, along with the importance of the therapeutic alliance, CBT can be an effective treatment approach for many individuals.

Once a client has reached the end of their therapeutic journey, they should be able to effectively apply the skills and knowledge that they have learned when they find themselves having challenges and difficulties.  

TherapyByPro is an online mental health directory that connects mental health pros with clients in need. If you’re a mental health professional, you can Join our community and add your practice listing here. We have assessments, practice forms, and worksheet templates mental health professionals can use to streamline their practice. View all of our mental health worksheets here.

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To learn more about how you can apply Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, we encourage you to look for continuing education courses and other training opportunities. 

The post 49 Questions to ask Clients in CBT Therapy Sessions appeared first on TherapyByPro.

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