Topic 11: CBT Myths & CBT Competence {by 5/1}
[CBT Myths] – (1) Identify at least one common CBT myth you have heard from other people/professionals. What are your thoughts when you hear such comments? (2) Why do you think some of these myths continue to exist? (3) What can you do to help dispel some of these myths?
[CBT Competence] – (1) How can it be a problem if CBT therapists have a strong aversion to practicing CBT techniques on themselves? (2) What are some possible indicators to determine if you are receiving quality CBT supervision? What type of feedback from your supervisor do you think would be most beneficial to your professional development as a CBT therapist? (3) What are some possible negative outcomes if you do not stay up to date with CBT knowledge and skills?
Your original post should be posted 5/1. Replies are not necessary for this post.
Dr. Adam M Volungis 
Apr 26, 2025 @ 15:48:14
A frequent myth I encounter about CBT is the belief that it focuses only on thoughts and neglects emotions. When I hear this, I usually assume the person lacks a solid understanding of CBT. While CBT does emphasize the role of thoughts, emotions are also considered highly significant. In fact, CBT therapists often begin by discussing the client’s emotions before exploring the thoughts that influence them. These misconceptions probably persist due to a general lack of education about CBT. Depending on the training program someone attends, they might receive limited exposure to CBT and instead learn primarily about other therapeutic approaches. To combat these myths, it’s important to actively educate others about what CBT truly involves. Even programs that do not prioritize CBT should still make an effort to teach students about common misconceptions and clarify why they are inaccurate. On an individual level, CBT therapists should approach those who hold these myths with curiosity rather than judgment. They should seek to understand why these beliefs exist and take the opportunity to openly explain what practicing CBT actually looks like.
Another issue arises if CBT therapists are reluctant to apply CBT techniques to themselves. If a therapist views CBT as ineffective and therefore doesn’t personally engage with it, clients are likely to notice. This could make the therapist seem insincere, potentially causing clients to lose faith in the treatment and their own motivation to continue. There are several signs that suggest one is receiving good CBT supervision. One key indicator is if supervisors closely observe sessions, either by reviewing recordings or using a one-way mirror. The use of structured checklists is another positive sign. Moreover, it is ideal if the supervisor actively practices CBT themselves, rather than just having a superficial familiarity with it. As mentioned earlier, receiving feedback through structured checklists would likely be the most helpful for my growth as a therapist. Checklists provide a clear, consistent framework for evaluating performance. Failing to keep up with developments in CBT can lead to serious consequences. Scientific theories continually evolve, and falling behind the research could result in using outdated or ineffective techniques, ultimately compromising client care. Therefore, regularly attending conferences, participating in trainings, and staying engaged with current CBT research is essential for providing the highest quality therapy.
Apr 26, 2025 @ 20:02:11
CBT Myths
One myth that I have heard when it comes to CBT, is that it is too rigid and impersonal. A lot of people, including professionals, seem to think that this approach is a strict one size fits all treatment that must be implemented in a specific sequence regardless of individual client differences. People seem to think that CBT is just worksheets one after another, however, this is an inaccurate myth. CBT does use structured worksheets as a part of the treatment model, but these are used in addition to other interventions. These worksheets are typically incorporated into sessions and explored at length before moving along. Sometimes clients will return to techniques later in session if it becomes relevant. Although there is some structure to CBT, it is still flexible and is adapted by the counselor to each client.
I think myths about CBT persist for a couple different reasons. One reason is because some therapists who advertise the fact that they complete CBT do not actually follow the best practices of CBT that make it effective and evidence-based. When clients work with these therapists and believe that they are participating in CBT, they leave therapy with an inaccurate perception. Having a negative experience may cause someone to “warn” others about CBT and encourage them to seek other forms of treatment. These inaccurate representations of CBT start to circle around more than the accurate ones because they are emotionally charged and stand out more. Another reason I think myths persist is because people with only a basic understanding of therapy may not understand the nuance between different types of therapy. They may have only heard about CBT in a limited capacity and this has misguided them into making larger assumptions that are not accurate.
As a future therapist, it is important that I recognize the common myths of CBT and do my best to dispel them. When meeting with clients, it is important to provide psychoeducation about CBT and help orient them to this treatment approach before starting. Asking them about what they know about CBT can bring awareness to any myths they have heard and they can be challenged and corrected before starting treatment. Having a positive outlook can vastly increase the effectiveness of treatment, and having negative and inaccurate beliefs about CBT can hinder this. Even in everyday conversations it is important to represent CBT accurately and make corrections to misinformation. When small bits and pieces of therapy go viral online it is easy for misinformation to spread, so being aware of this and making others aware is crucial.
CBT Competence
When CBT therapists have a strong aversion to practicing CBT techniques on themselves, it can be problematic. One reason is because in order to provide competent treatment, you have to practice what you preach. This could mean doing some techniques on yourself or seeking treatment from a CBT therapist. Either way, having this direct experience with the techniques helps therapists work through their own issues so that they do not interfere with their ability to serve clients. It also helps them build empathy for clients if they know what it is like to deal with some of the challenges that can arise during CBT treatment. Actively deciding not to practice CBT on yourself as a therapist is hypocritical and can unknowingly suggest to your client that you do not believe in the interventions you are using.
Receiving supervision as a CBT therapist is incredibly important, especially good quality supervision. Effective supervision starts with having a supervisor who is experienced in CBT and has been practicing for at least a few years before supervising. Good supervisors are staying up to date with current research and continuing to develop their own CBT skills through professional development. When supervisors are doing these things, they should also be encouraging their supervisees to do the same. Having a good relationship with supervisors is important because you need to be confident that they understand what they are doing and care about you, and also this allows supervisees to be comfortable bringing any issue to their supervisor’s attention so they can work through it together.
By not staying up to date with CBT knowledge and skills, you put yourself at risk of no longer being competent in giving effective CBT treatment. The field of psychology is continuing to expand and grow, and this means that CBT will be updated and revised. By not staying up to date, you risk continuing to use interventions and skills that have been shown to be ineffective or potentially detrimental to positive treatment outcomes. This is a major disservice to clients who are trusting their therapist to give them good quality evidence-based treatment. CBT that is no longer evidence-based is no longer CBT at all and has a greater chance of causing harm to a client.
Apr 30, 2025 @ 09:55:53
A common myth that I have encountered with CBT is that it is a “one size fits all” approach filled with worksheets that will take up the entire session, which leaves it to be impersonal for the client. Even from my time so far in the program, when I heard this misconception, I was able to disprove it on my own based on my understanding of what CBT is all about. I think that a myth like the mentioned one exists because of clinicians who may not have a full understanding of CBT, and when they promote themselves as “experts”, it leads the client to believe that what the clinician is practicing is accurate about CBT. There are some programs that do not emphasize the foundation of CBT and may only glaze over the surface versus going into depth. It is then the clinician who is only using what they were taught which may not fulfill its full accuracy of CBT. Personally, this is a bigger issue that may occur on a larger scale, but if I promote accurate CBT along with using psychoeducation for my clients, it will help slowly disprove any misconceptions of CBT.
If CBT therapists have a strong aversion to practicing CBT techniques on themselves, I believe it adds to the myth of being impersonal because the therapist is not putting themselves in the perspective of their client to try and fully understand what they are experiencing. As therapists, we use our empathy with our clients, and this is where we are trying to understand our client’s feelings, but it would be difficult to do so without completing the techniques. As a supervisee, I believe that the criticism we receive is vital to our future ability to practice because they are improvements that we can make to reach our full potential to benefit our clients. A great indication of quality supervision is a supervisor who has a solid relationship with their supervisee who is involved in their sessions in an appropriate manner. I believe that the supervisor must also have a strong understanding of CBT to ensure that the criticism they may be giving is the most up to date and accurate. A supervisor may also be growing and learning new things while also involving their supervisees in the journey. I think that any feedback from my supervisor that positively influences my development as a CBT therapist will benefit my future practice. I only know what I know, and I will learn things I do not know that hopefully comes from a place where others want me to become better.
I think that some negative outcomes of not staying up to date would be that I am not competent enough to the times to continue practicing CBT. Psychology alone, even including CBT, has then a nature of ever-changing and developing with new discoveries and findings. CBT includes many different types of interventions and treatments that could become ineffective to use or become modified to suit a better function. By not keeping up to date, a CBT therapist may not know of these changes and risk harm to their clients.
Apr 30, 2025 @ 14:12:16
CBT Myths:
In terms of a CBT myth I have heard from other people or professionals, I would say the most common would be the notion that this form of therapy does not focus on the emotions that clients experience and instead only focuses on changing behaviors based on a rigid template, depending on the presenting concern. Before knowing anything about CBT or experiencing the benefits of CBT in my own life, I had similar thoughts to this myth. I did not think completing a worksheet and ‘just changing my behaviors and thoughts’ would help create change in my daily life. However, after my own experiences with CBT as well as what I have learned so far in this program, I would strongly disagree with such comments. I believe that myths revolving around CBT still exist for a few different reasons. The first reason such myths still exist may be due to a lack of understanding of the true nature of the practice. In the present day, worksheets and workbooks following CBT skills are readily available online for free or with a small purchase. This can be great; however, without proper psychoeducation accompanying the worksheets/workbooks, it can feel as though CBT only places focus on following a rigid template and changing thoughts and behaviors, with no understanding of how connected our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are to each other. Additionally, going off the first reason, such myths are still present due to individuals’ pre-existing views of the practice. These pre-existing views may have been shaped by hearing from another person’s ‘bad’ experience with CBT or from having a bad experience themself. These bad experiences often occur when a therapist strays away from the evidence-based practice of CBT due to their personal beliefs. To help dispel these myths that are still circulating CBT, I would want to have an open conversation when I hear someone discussing such myths. In this context, I would want to provide information that may be helpful to understand how the myths are myths and explain the evidence-based nature of CBT. Additionally, when practicing myself, it would be important to stay up to date with what is considered best practice, as things can change after graduating. To not present an outdated version of CBT to clients and contribute to the myths further, it is important to stay up to date. One last thing I would say that can help dispel myths around the practice is to show clients that CBT can be personalized to help them with their specific concerns and that there is not a rigid template being followed the same way for every client.
CBT Competence:
If a CBT therapist has a strong aversion to practicing CBT techniques on themself, it can be very problematic. One reason why this can be problematic is that this could negatively affect their ability to understand themselves. If a therapist is not able to use the techniques of CBT to understand themself, it may become difficult to help a client navigate through the techniques to understand their difficulties. Additionally, aversion to practicing techniques can create a disconnect between the therapist and the client. When a CBT therapist practices techniques of themself, they gain an understanding of what it will feel like for a client to work through the same technique and therefore gain sympathy for what the client may feel while using the technique. If a therapist is not practicing on themselves, they are not gaining that level of understanding, and it may be harder to develop that same level of sympathy and understanding for the client. I would also argue that by a CBT therapist not practicing these skills on themself, they would be hindering ways to develop their therapist skills and self-concept of being a therapist.
Having quality CBT supervision is extremely important, especially as a new intern. I would say one way to determine if you are receiving quality supervision would be by how your relationship with the supervisor is. If you are afraid to inform your supervisor of certain things, or even just to ask questions, there is a problem that should be addressed immediately. It is crucial to be able to inform a supervisor when you are unsure of how to go about something during a session or just to troubleshoot and ask for feedback. Therefore, for quality supervision, a key component would be having a supervisor who is approachable and creates a welcoming environment where you feel comfortable asking questions and get constructive feedback (both good and where improvement is needed). This brings me to another point, which is that quality supervision would have a supervisor who is not only congratulating you on successes but is also walking you through areas where you can benefit from developing your skills more. If a supervisor does not address areas where an intern is performing incorrectly, it will create problems in the future and may become harder to fix once it has been done for a long period of time. Lastly, quality CBT supervision would come from a supervisor who has years of experience and is comfortable with using CBT techniques and is up to date with current best practices.
If a CBT therapist does not stay updated with their knowledge and skills in the field, it can become problematic. Similarly to what I had previously mentioned, when a clinician is practicing outdated techniques, it can have the potential to cause a client to have a negative impression of the benefits of CBT, as they are receiving treatment from a person who is no longer competent in the field. Practicing outdated CBT skills and techniques with clients is not only demonstrating a lack of competence in the field but also putting the client in potential risk of aversive outcomes due to the outdated methods. Therefore, it is essential as a CBT therapist to continuously stay up to date with the current best practice skills and techniques to ensure clients are receiving the best possible care the therapist can provide.
Apr 30, 2025 @ 19:39:07
May 01, 2025 @ 10:10:44
A common CBT myth that I have heard from other people/professionals is that CBT ignores a client’s past experiences and focuses on present concerns. I believe that this is untrue because I feel as though a proper clinician should appreciate a client’s past experiences as it shapes them into who they are today and can impact their presenting problems. I believe that it is of utmost importance for a clinician to consider a client’s past as it shares important information as to how their client may be interpreting their world around them in the present tense. I think that this myth may continue to exist because CBT therapy is promoted as a way to address current concerns and areas that are affecting one’s life in the current tense. However, I do not believe that this should be taken quite so literally as it is important, as stated previously, to consider a client’s full timeline. I believe that promoting CBT therapy as a means to help clients in their current state is important to continue doing, but I also think it is important to advocate that it does involve diving deeper into the full picture. I believe that it should not be promoted as a therapeutic intervention to quickly fix distressing factors that are causing issues in the present tense. I hope to be a clinician that analyzes a client’s full timeline and background in order to dispel prior myths created about CBT in general. Clients may come in to session with that myth creating hesitations for them and I hope to allow them to realize that I am here to look at what is distressing them at the moment, while also analyzing all factors throughout their life that may play a role in their distress.
I believe that it can be a problem if CBT therapists have a strong aversion to practicing CBT techniques on themselves because that would create ingenuity. If you are asking your clients to implement certain therapeutic interventions into their lives, they should be ones that you can see yourself doing as well. Why would you ask someone to try something new that you believe would not demonstrate any benefit? I believe some indicators to determine if you are receiving quality CBT supervision would be that you are constantly being challenged. I know that I do not want to be told that I am “doing a great job”. Rather, I would hope that my supervisor takes all means necessary to tell me ways in which I can improve as a therapist. Coming from a sports background, I find a lot of parallels between the two. In sports, there is almost always something that can be improved upon as an athlete. The best athletes have received constructive criticism constantly in order to improve upon their game. I would hope that my supervisor would adhere to the same responsibility. I want to constantly learn and improve upon my clinical techniques and knowledge and want to receive feedback that dives deep into what I did, and how I could do better. I believe feedback from my supervisor that would promote change within myself as a therapist would intertwine their own personal experiences as well. I find that when supervisors share that they have made mistakes in the past, it allows for me to understand that I am not expected to be perfect, but I am expected to be competent and have a desire to learn and be better. I think I sometimes place supervisors on a pedestal and expect them to have all the answers all the time. I believe if they convey that they too, are just human beings with failures of their own, will help me to stray away from my perfectionistic tendencies. I believe some negative outcomes of therapy if I do not stay up to date with CBT techniques would be that rapport would be considerably lacking. If I am trying to implement techniques that are outdated or do not apply to my clients, then they will not feel as though they are seen or heard. It is also very important to understand that there are going to be better methods surface as I continue my career. I do not want to implement techniques that are outdated and it would simply be a waste of everyone’s time if I am not considering better, more current evidence-based techniques.
May 01, 2025 @ 12:34:25
One common myth I have heard about CBT is that it is only good for treating depression and anxiety. This type of technique is effective for a variety of mental disorders ranging from trauma-related to eating habits. Although CBT is best known for helping clients struggling with depression and anxiety, it is a valuable technique for many others. Another common myth is that it is a one-size-fits-all approach in which the technique is not tailored to each individual uniquely. This is completely false as clinicians incorporate this approach to best fit their clients needs and go at a pace that is desirable for them. It is important to understand and care about the different myths surrounding CBT as future licensed mental health therapists. Addressing such myths can be helpful in allowing the clients potential ignorance to decrease. Bringing awareness to the many myths of CBT sets the stage for a strong and caring therapeutic relationship with the client.
It can become problematic when a CBT therapist has a strong aversion to practicing CBT techniques on their own. It is important to practice these techniques on yourself as a therapist in order to gain better self-awareness and insight that allows for a more effective approach to therapy. If a therapist has never been on the receiving end then it will be more difficult utilizing these techniques with clients. It may be important to find the reason why the therapist does not want to participate in such techniques. Clients may be able to pick up on the aversion and not feel motivated to participate themselves. When it comes to receiving CBT supervision it is very important that a supervisor provides necessary support and feedback. An effective way is to prove some sort of performance evaluation so one knows exactly where they stand in terms of their skills. Nt staying up to date with currency CBT knowledge could damage therapeutic relationships with clients if their therapist is utilizing a now ineffective technique.
May 01, 2025 @ 13:02:19
One common CBT myth that I often hear is that CBT is cold and impersonal, and that there is very little value placed on the therapeutic relationship itself. I also often hear people say it’s just “homework and worksheets” or that CBT is more like a lecture than therapy. Usually when I hear this, I can sort of understand why people would think this, but it is a bit frustrating to see how misinformed people are and the stereotypes surrounding CBT. This one in particular is very frustrating especially since we have spent so much time in this curriculum learning specifically about the value and importance of a good rapport, and how CBT relies heavily on this to be effective. I think this stereotype continues to exist because of the added component of “taking action” in CBT (when the client is ready) rather than only focusing on exploring, validating, and fostering insight like in other forms of therapy. I think people focus so much on the homework and worksheets that this is all people believe CBT to be, and many don’t realize that this is only a small part of CBT. People don’t seem to understand the principles of what makes CBT effective, which have always included empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness, in addition to trust and collaborative empiricism. CBT emphasizes that therapy is a team effort, and collaboration towards improving one’s health cannot happen without a strong relational foundation. I think on an individual level we can work to dispel some of these myths by addressing these myths as they arise, whether it be directly to clients coming to therapy for the first time or after working with a therapist who utilizes a different approach, or other practicing therapists who may work in a different theoretical framework. This could even involve having others observe your sessions, or even go as far as to host seminars, training sessions, making social media content based around CBT to debunk any myths on a larger scale.
It can be a problem if CBT therapists have a strong aversion to practicing CBT techniques on themselves because practicing what we preach allows up to gain self-awareness and insight that can result in increasing out competency and empathy when working with clients. This is because we have a greater understanding of what it is like to actually do the things that we recommend to our clients. Reflecting on our own experiences completing exercises helps to understand the different ways that clients may feel about some of the exercise, and it helps therapists to be able to appreciate the work and effort clients give towards engaging with the process. If a therapist is strongly against practicing CBT techniques on themselves or has beliefs that something won’t work for them or that a technique is “useless,” then clients may also be hesitant to engage with the exercises. This can decrease the trust they have in you as a therapist since it will come across as being disingenuous. If someone’s own therapist has a negative evaluation of exercises and is not willing to do them on their own, then the client’s hope and motivation for change can decrease as a result, leading to poor treatment outcomes.
One of the indicators of receiving quality CBT supervision is that the supervisor is working to help you adhere to CBT theory and skills. The supervisor may request to observe sessions directly or to have audio or video recordings so that feedback can be given in context and as “in the moment” as possible. Quality feedback can be based on identifying unnoticed details, alternative perspectives, suggesting different approaches when feeling stuck, etc. It may also include feedback on the things you did well and bringing awareness to your own strengths. The supervisor may also use formal checklists like the CBTSC and the CRTRS to track performance, progress, and provide feedback to trainees. Another indicator of a good CBT supervisor is if the therapist also works to remain up to date on research within the field and actively makes efforts to continuously develop their own CBT skills. This reinforces that their knowledge is current and accurate.
Not staying up to date with CBT knowledge and skills can have negative outcomes because as research continues, we uncover more information about our current practices, and these findings are what prompts the modifications of our current approach to be effective. If we do not stay up to date, we could continue using practices that are less effective than other newly discovered approaches, which can lead to us becoming incompetent as therapists. It is up to us to make sure we are delivering the best quality of care based on empirically supported data so that we can deliver the best quality of care and avoid any negative impacts on our clients. Thankfully, there are many ways to stay up to date on current CBT knowledge and skills, such as workshops, trainings, newsletters, blogs, and conferences.
May 01, 2025 @ 16:49:48
One common myth I’ve heard is that CBT can’t be flexible or personalized. When I hear this, I immediately think about how misunderstood CBT can be by both professionals and clients. While CBT does offer structure, that structure is meant to support, not limit, the therapeutic process. What many people miss is that CBT is highly adaptable to a client’s unique needs, goals, and pace. A skilled CBT therapist adjusts the interventions based on what fits the client best, using creativity, collaboration, and clinical judgment to make the therapy meaningful. I believe this myth persists because of how CBT is sometimes taught or implemented, particularly when it’s delivered in manualized or brief formats. If someone only experiences or observes CBT in that limited context, it can easily come across as inflexible. Additionally, early exposure to CBT in school or practicum settings might emphasize tools like thought records or behavioral experiments without demonstrating how they can be personalized. To help dispel this myth, I plan to use psychoeducation in sessions to show clients how CBT is collaborative and tailored to them. I can also model flexibility by choosing interventions that match each client’s strengths, values, and preferences rather than following a script.
If CBT therapists have a strong aversion to practicing CBT techniques on themselves, it can become a significant issue. Practicing CBT on oneself allows the therapist to build personal insight and empathy for the client’s experience. If a therapist refuses to use the same tools they ask clients to use, it can come across as insincere or disconnected. Furthermore, avoiding self application may suggest a lack of confidence in the method, further enforcing the sense of disconnect they may feel when implementing it. I think this would be discernable by some clients and minimize the efficacy. Quality CBT supervision should be structured, collaborative, and include both skill-building and performative feedback. A good supervisor not only gives constructive criticism but also models CBT techniques and encourages reflection. I think the most beneficial feedback for my development would be specific comments on how I apply interventions and conceptualize cases. Feedback that challenges me to grow while also supporting my confidence is what will help me develop CBT skills the best. Failing to stay updated with CBT knowledge and skills could lead to outdated practices that aren’t effective or even appropriate for current clients. Since CBT evolves with ongoing research, not staying informed could result in the use of interventions that are no longer considered best practice. This can compromise client outcomes and damage the therapist’s professional credibility.
May 01, 2025 @ 20:29:35
CBT Myths
1. One common myth I’ve heard that particularly bothers me about CBT is that it’s “just about positive thinking.” This myth misrepresents the depth of what true CBT really is, which is frankly the antithesis of just ignoring problems or replacing every negative thought with a happy thought. It’s about being realistic by learning how to identify patterns in people’s thoughts that are unhelpful and changing them to be more accurate. Reducing CBT to “just think positive” overlooks its empirical, skill-based nature. In turn, it discourages people from engaging with it in a fair and meaningful way.
2. Myths like this persist for several reasons, but lack of training is the first that comes to mind. Lack of exposure and training is a huge contributing factor to not only misinformation about CBT specifically, but the field of psychology as a whole.
3. The way we can combat this is by being accurate in our work. By demonstrating techniques correctly in our practices, we can not only help our clients (who benefit directly from good therapy), but also help educate our colleagues (who see the results with science and data to back it up, thus bringing it into their own practice).
CBT Competence
1. It can definitely be a huge problem if CBT therapists have a strong aversion to practicing CBT techniques on themselves. Engaging in self-practice allows you as a therapist to better understand what your client experiences will be when being treated by you. It is also important to test the material you teach because you are much more likely to give your all when you understand and believe in what you are saying to your clients.
2. I think quality CBT supervision has many important factors. I think it is extremely important for supervisors to ensure they have time set aside for structured supervision sessions that allow time for reviewing documentation and case formulation as well as time for supervisees to ask questions and raise concerns. Supervision should also provide clear feedback that is grounded in CBT principles. A good supervisor should be able to challenge you to apply techniques correctly, reflect on yourself and your practices, but also empower you and celebrate your successes. When I have had supervision in the past, what I always felt it lacked was specific, behaviorally anchored input. I felt there was always time for housekeeping and micromanaging paperwork, however I feel the time would have been better spent going over constructive feedback that ties directly to my clients outcomes so that I could better improve the quality of care I am delivering.
3. If you don’t stay up to date with CBT knowledge and skills it can lead to ineffective or even harmful therapy. Outdated interventions can cause you to miss critical developments in treating specific populations, causing prolonged distress in our clients. For example, if tomorrow we got the news that there was a groundbreaking new pill that cured cancer with 100% efficacy in a single dose, it would be silly for doctors to continue to pump their patients with chemo. Being up to date is showing competency, diligence to your practice and your patients, and a commitment to practicing in an ethical and result-driven manner.