Topic 2: Cognitive Theories {by 2/6}
There are three readings due this week (Beck, A. T.; Beck, J. S.; Volungis). For this discussion, share at least two thoughts: (1) What is your understanding of Lazarus’ and Folkman’s conceptualization of cognitive appraisal and coping in relation to CBT? (2) What are your initial impressions in your ability to understand and consistently apply the basic principles of CBT as a therapist? (I realize many of you do not yet have any therapy experience. However, now is a good time to start thinking about being a CBT therapist. Many of you will be starting your practicum this summer!)
Your original post should be posted by the beginning of class 2/6. Have your two replies posted no later than 2/8. *Please remember to click the “reply” button when posting a reply. This makes it easier for the reader to follow the blog postings.
Dr. Adam M Volungis 
Feb 04, 2025 @ 23:19:14
Cognitive appraisal and coping are foundational concepts when discussing CBT. Lazarus frames cognitive appraisal as an intermediate step between the onset of an event and the consequential behavior. Appraisal is “essential for adequate psychological understanding” of an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). This cognitive process is largely influenced by past experiences, such that judgement informs the direction of behavior. The first half of this process is known as “primary appraisal,” in which the individual categorizes an event as irrelevant, benign/positive, challenging, or threatening. If an event is perceived as challenging or threatening, “secondary appraisal” assesses the extent to which an individual feels they can cope with the situation. The coping process directly interacts with cognitive appraisal, as cognitions and behaviors are shifted to alleviate perceived stress. Coping is described as either emotion-focused or problem-focused. Emotion-focused coping is used to manage one’s emotional response to an event—behaviors such as avoidance, drinking, or altering the situation’s meaning may instill a sense of optimism and decrease perceived stress. On the other hand, problem-focused coping targets the stressor to alleviate maladaptive thoughts or behaviors. Both cognitive appraisal and coping share obvious ties to CBT. Cognitive appraisals use an individual’s values and patterns of perception to contextualize behavior, while coping patterns indicate what has/has not worked to reduce maladaptive behaviors. Together, these concepts shed necessary light upon how to best support a client through treatment.
Overall, the basic principles of CBT that we have discussed seem approachable. All concepts circle back to the interaction between thoughts, feelings, behavior, and environment. Applying these principles is something I look forward to beginning, though I know it will take time to consistently and skillfully incorporate them. It goes without saying that learning about theories from a textbook is different than applying the knowledge with clients, so I am eager to begin an internship and generate hands-on experience. I believe the personalization of CBT principles and treatment is what I am most excited to see. These concepts are united by similar definitions yet have varying implications for varying clients.
Feb 06, 2025 @ 09:55:45
Hi Meghan! I appreciated that you made the point that appraisal is essential in understanding an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Right away, you were able to tie in the relationship between appraisal and CBT therapy! I feel as though your explanation of primary and secondary appraisal were also really easy to follow. Primary appraisal being how an individual categorizes an experience, followed by second appraisal that relates to coping. I also agree that the coping process is related to the cognitive appraisal process because it is the way in which an individual is attempting to deal with whatever experience they are facing. Lastly, I also agree with the point you made on continuously practicing the skills and theories we have learned. I feel as though once we truly begin to apply the information we have learned, it will come a lot more natural. I thought your discussion post was VERY well said and I am excited to continue to learn with you and see you grow as a future therapist (I know you’re going to be a GREAT therapist) 🙂
Feb 06, 2025 @ 10:47:28
Hi Meg! I really enjoyed reading your post because it was broken down in a way for us to understand cognitive appraisal, even with examples of behaviors. The behaviors for coping are there to alleviate the stress of an event, even if it is maladaptive. You did a great job connecting cognitive appraisal to CBT and how that would be applicable as a therapist.
Feb 13, 2025 @ 10:43:21
Hi Meghan,
The personalization of CBT principles is a really good point! The textbook and classes kind of make it feel like there is a one-size-fits-all approach for each disorder and that is so not true. I wonder also if, as we see how each manualized treatment needs to become personalized to each client, we will become less focused on every treatment being 100% evidence-based.
Feb 05, 2025 @ 10:18:08
Based off my understanding of Lazarus and Folkman’s conceptualization of cognitive appraisal, it plays a large role in emotional regulation where it theorizes an individual will evaluate and interpret a situation while determining its impact and significance. Appraisal is essential in an individual’s understanding of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A factor that influences cognitive appraisal is the individual’s past experiences that will shape the way they interpret the situation and future ones. An individual’s cultural background and personality traits will also play a role in the way they perceive the events. Cognitive appraisal is split into two parts: primary and secondary appraisal. Primary appraisal deals with the individual assessing the situation to evaluate if it is a threat, challenge, or opportunity. Secondary appraisal occurs if the situation is a threat or challenge, so then the individual looks at their resources and support in order to cope. This coping process is linked to cognitive appraisal because it is the individual looking to alleviate the stress caused. Coping is seen as problem-focused or emotion-focused. Problem-focused is where the individual targets the stressor itself to alleviate the behaviors or feelings caused by the problem. Emotion-focused is where the individual is emotional management to an event with behaviors to relieve the stressing thoughts or behaviors. Cognitive appraisal and coping mechanisms are related to CBT because it deals with the impact of an individual’s thoughts, behaviors, and feelings that can influence their interpretations of situations and events. It can shape the way they behave in either adaptive or maladaptive ways. CBT is focused on those cognitions and understanding how an individual perceives an event and how that affects their external behaviors.
My understanding of CBT has a strong foundation from all the information I have learned, and as a future therapist, I know it is going to take time and practice to efficiently use those skills with clients. I have confidence in applying my knowledge of CBT to my future interactions with clients and know that they will improve the more I am able to use it.
Feb 06, 2025 @ 10:08:16
Hey Hannah! I really liked your discussion post because I found that you were able to convey the concept of cognitive appraisal in a way that made it very easy to understand. I really liked your statement towards the beginning that appraisal is a process in which an individual evaluates and interprets an experience while also determining its impact and significance. I thought that this statement demonstrated the process in a complete and concise way. I also appreciated the way you broke down the appraisal process: primary and secondary. I liked the way you framed these processes because it shows that first one interprets the situation, and then second, they decide how to cope. Lastly, I agree with you that it is going to take time and practice in order to feel fully confident in the skills we have learned thus far! However, I am MORE than confident that you are going to an AMAZING therapist who is going to easily apply the CBT skills and concepts we have learned!
Feb 07, 2025 @ 21:48:37
Hey Hannah!
After reading your response it is clear that you have a great understanding of CBT and how the approach can benefit individuals suffering from particular mental health issues. CBT can be highly effective for individuals struggling with depression and/or anxiety because the negative thoughts that arise can be reframed to change the outcome of behavior. There is no doubt in my mind that you will be able to efficiently and successfully apply the workings of CBT to your practice as a future therapist. I know you are going to be a great counselor and make it far in this field!
Feb 06, 2025 @ 09:47:18
From my understanding, Lazarus’ and Folkman’s conceptualization of cognitive appraisal is when an individual processes an experience in order to formulate a reaction and understand said experience. An individual categorizes an encounter and then evaluates what the significance of that encounter is to their overall well-being. The cognitive appraisal process is considered to be the mediator between an event and an individual’s response and is largely influenced by past experiences. Because the cognitive appraisal process is subjective (based upon an individual’s interpretation), it is said to be phenomenological. There are two types of cognitive appraisals: primary and secondary. Primary appraisal evaluates whether or not the event, situation, or encounter an individual faces has any relevance to their own well-being and whether or not it poses a threat or benefit. The secondary appraisal process will then question what can be done to mitigate a threat or improve potential benefits. According to Lazarus and Folkman, the way in which an individual appraises an event or experience has an impact on the coping process (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Coping is defined as “constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person” (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). The way in which one copes with a stressful event plays a part in whether or not the outcome is adaptive or maladaptive. I believe that cognitive appraisal and coping is related to CBT because it deals with the perception of events and how that plays into the overall experience. For example, if one were to appraise that public speaking is stressful, they may cope in various ways with said stressor. The way in which they cope may produce benefits or may hinder their outcome even more. A CBT therapist would focus on how the appraisal process shapes the individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. With the previous example, a CBT therapist would question what the individual’s thoughts were after appraising public speaking as stressful, how that made them feel, and how they behaved afterwards.
I believe that I have a relatively good understanding of CBT therapy, however, there is definitely more information that I need to take in, in order to formulate a much more sound idea and representation of it. I feel as though I would be able to explain the general principle of CBT to a future client, but I also lack confidence in suggesting therapeutic approaches if they wanted to change an aspect of either their cognition, behavior, or emotions. I have no doubt that CBT is an impactful approach in therapy and am confident that I would apply the principles in future sessions. I just need to definitely take in a lot more information to feel completely confident and sound.
Feb 06, 2025 @ 10:44:13
Hi Nicole! I enjoyed reading your post especially the part on coping mechanisms where you emphasized that the outcome could be either adaptive or maladaptive based on the individual’s established coping skills. This all has a circulatory effect with CBT since it comes back to our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors which is when we as therapists evaluate their cognitive appraisal. Be confident in those skills!!! You have such a strong grasp on the information that you will be able to apply it anywhere while learning on the way!
Feb 07, 2025 @ 20:10:40
Nicole, I really enjoyed your thorough summary of Lazarus and Folkman’s conceptualization. I also relate a lot with needing to take more in of CBT before feeling confident with using it.
Feb 13, 2025 @ 10:45:18
Hi Nicole,
I agree about being unconfident about suggesting therapeutic approaches. My big fear is I won’t know exactly what treatment each client needs, and that I may pick the “wrong” approach. I am sure this will be something that is easier to deal with once we have internship experience. (Hopefully).
Feb 06, 2025 @ 13:43:22
Feb 06, 2025 @ 16:08:13
Hi Michael!
You have a great understanding of cognitive appraisal and coping and were able to articulate it very well. I agree with your point that these principles seem related to CBT because they are very individualized concepts. Two people could interpret and cope with the same environment very differently, which is crucial for therapists to understand. Good work!!
Feb 09, 2025 @ 23:47:18
Hi Michael! It is definitely true that how we interpret situations shapes our emotions and behaviors. It makes me wonder how much of our role as therapists will be challenging distortions or helping clients develop flexible appraisals from the start. I also relate to your thoughts about applying CBT in real sessions. It’s one thing to understand the techniques but using them naturally with clients will take practice. I also share the same fascination about how to personalize these techniques to make it more genuine for the client.
Feb 06, 2025 @ 13:48:55
From my understanding, Lazarus and Folkman’s conceptualization of cognitive appraisal and coping include the individual’s approach/response to the situation and how they may cope with certain stressful encounters. An individual that approaches a situation and views it as harmful or threatening can be described as primary appraisal. This is how a person views a certain situation as a threatening one. Secondary appraisal can be described as the coping strategies the individuals learn in order to reduce the stress from said situation. How a person may approach a specific situation or respond to certain stimuli can be determined by both primary and secondary appraisals. Based on the experiences from the threatening situation an individual can learn how to properly cope with stressors when they arise. In relation to Cognitive-Behavioral therapy, the individual’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors play a role in the process of cognitive appraisal and how they deal with stressors. An individual’s negative feelings towards a certain stressful situation could potentially be reframed in a way that helps them better manage the issue. By helping a client change their negative thinking patterns towards a specific stressor, the outcome of maladaptive behavior could potentially be restructured.
I would consider my ability to understand and consistently apply the basic principles of CBT to be relatively strong. However, I feel my confidence level within this area could be improved when given the opportunity to experience the reality of counseling in general. Considering my therapy experience is quite limited, I feel less prepared in my ability to effectively apply the skills of CBT. The knowledge and understanding is most definitely there however I am lacking in the experience department. This remains a major concern for myself because I not only want to be a successful therapist but I want to make a change in others lives. I think my fear of not being good enough will always be lingering over me. However, my motivation to succeed and determination to make a change in others’ lives holds more power over any little fear that I may have.
Feb 06, 2025 @ 14:45:58
Hello Lexi,
You have a solid understanding of cognitive appraisal and its connection to CBT. Your recognition of how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors influence coping strategies is key to effective therapy. It’s completely normal to feel less confident without hands-on experience, but your motivation and determination will drive your growth as a therapist. With time and practice, your skills will strengthen, and your confidence will follow. As long as you keep embracing the learning process- you are on the right track!
Feb 06, 2025 @ 16:15:09
Hi Lexi,
You offered a thorough explanation of cognitive appraisal/coping and how such concepts fit into CBT. I especially appreciate your thought about how these areas indicate where cognitive reframing may be necessary. In terms of my comfort with CBT, I can certainly agree that the knowledge is there while the experience is lacking. I have no doubt that you will gain the skills needed to positively impact future client’s lives– we’ll be in this together!!
Feb 06, 2025 @ 14:12:32
Cognitive appraisal and coping play a crucial role in understanding how individuals perceive and respond to stress, making them fundamental to CBT. Lazarus and Folkman conceptualize cognitive appraisal as the process by which a person interprets an event, determining whether it is a threat, challenge, or neutral to their well-being. This initial categorization, known as primary appraisal, sets the stage for the coping response. If a situation is deemed stressful, secondary appraisal follows, assessing what resources are available to manage it. Coping, then, is the active process of responding to stress, either by addressing the problem directly (problem-focused coping) or by managing emotions surrounding the issue (emotion-focused coping). Because CBT works by identifying maladaptive thoughts and behaviors and restructuring them into more adaptive responses, understanding how a client appraises situations and copes with stress is integral to effective intervention. A CBT therapist would work to identify distorted appraisals and maladaptive coping strategies, helping the client develop healthier ways to manage stress and reshape their thought patterns.
In terms of applying CBT in practice, I feel comfortable with the foundational concepts but recognize that translating them into effective therapy will take time and experience. While I understand the interaction between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, the challenge lies in applying interventions that facilitate real change for clients. The process of identifying maladaptive thought patterns and guiding clients toward healthier coping mechanisms is something I look forward to refining through hands-on practice. I recognize that theory and application can feel quite different, and I anticipate that practicum and internship will be key in bridging that gap. Ultimately, I am eager to develop my ability to use CBT techniques effectively, ensuring that I can tailor interventions to individual clients in a way that feels natural, supportive, and impactful.
Feb 06, 2025 @ 14:44:04
Hello Jalen,
You’ve articulated the role of cognitive appraisal and coping in CBT really well. Applying these concepts in practice will definitely take time, but your awareness of the challenges ahead shows great insight. Gaining hands-on experience during practicum and internship will help bridge the gap between theory and application. It’s great that you’re eager to refine your skills—over time, using CBT techniques will become more natural and intuitive.
Feb 07, 2025 @ 20:12:07
Jalen, I agree with you that it will take time and experience until we master doing interventions with CBT.
Feb 06, 2025 @ 14:42:26
1.Lazarus and Folkman’s cognitive appraisal theory explains how individuals interpret and react to incoming information based on past experiences and mental frameworks. This process helps determine whether an event is irrelevant, positive, or stressful, influencing emotional and behavioral responses.
Cognitive appraisal occurs in three stages:
This process is closely tied to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as distorted interpretations can lead to stress and maladaptive coping. CBT helps individuals recognize and modify inaccurate appraisals to reduce distress and develop healthier coping mechanisms.
There are two main types of coping:
Since thoughts, emotions, and behaviors influence one another, CBT helps individuals reshape their thinking patterns, improving their ability to handle challenges and adapt to their environment.
2.As I prepare for my internship and future practice, I feel confident in my ability to apply Rogerian skills genuinely with clients. However, mastering the structured systems and steps of various therapeutic approaches will be a challenge. I recognize the need for consistent effort to intellectually grasp these frameworks before effectively integrating them into practice. At times, this may feel overwhelming or complex, but I believe I am well-prepared to navigate these challenges.
To support my learning, I plan to create and reference diagrams and charts as I refine my skills. I understand that growth will require building a strong foundation, but with experience and a reliance on my Rogerian approach, I am confident in my ability to become a competent, trustworthy, and effective counselor.
Feb 06, 2025 @ 16:12:00
Hi Tea!
I really enjoyed the structure of this discussion post, I felt like I was refining my understanding of these principles when reading it. It is smart to be proactive about your concerns in applying this framework to future clinical work through the use of reference diagrams and charts. I feel as though more in-class practice will also assist us in understanding the CBT process more. Good work!!
Feb 09, 2025 @ 14:42:09
Hi Tea,
I really enjoy the way you organized your response! There is a lot to cover with Lazarus and Folkman’s theory, and this was a great way to be able to clearly follow along. I think it’s a great idea to create diagrams and charts to reference as you continue learning about these theories and practices! That’ll be a great way to really get the hang of everything throughout your school and future experiences!
Feb 06, 2025 @ 16:04:18
In my understanding, Lazarus’ and Folkman’s conceptualization of cognitive appraisal and coping are important for CBT because it takes into account that everyone experiences and reacts to their environment in different ways. Cognitive appraisal takes place between an action and a reaction, and can vary person to person depending on the amount of danger we feel we are in. There are primary appraisals, which determine what a stressful stimulus is and if it carries any danger to our well being. Secondary appraisals then allow us to decide what might be or can be done about the stimulus in order to protect ourselves. The way a person appraises a situation will determine their coping process. Coping occurs in “effort to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person” (Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S., 1984, p. 141). When we are in an environment that we appraise as dangerous, we see an increase in coping skills. These concepts relate to CBT because they emphasize that our environment can influence our thoughts and behavior and vice versa.
My initial thoughts on the basic principles of CBT are that they are manageable and seem to follow a structured outline. We have learned a lot about how the environment, personal factors, and behaviors interact, but I would like to view more applications of CBT as I am more of a visual learner. I am confident in my skills but feel that once I am able to apply these principles to clinical work and better understand the general procedure of CBT, I think all of these concepts will tie together for me.
Feb 06, 2025 @ 16:47:53
Hi Rachel,
Great job with this post– throughout our discussion posts, I’ve noticed your strength in effectively summarizing major ideas in a comprehensive way. Further, I agree that the principles of CBT follow a manageable outline. I feel by this point in our psychological studies, the foundational concepts of CBT have been hammered in on an intellectual level. I am also a visual learner, so I am eager to see these concepts come to fruition in practicum/internship.
Feb 09, 2025 @ 23:46:55
Hi Rachel! I liked how you explained cognitive appraisal as the step between action and reaction. It is a key part of understanding why people respond differently to the same situation. There are so many times where I would think in my head “oh, I would not have done that” to someone explaining to me what they did. So understanding that first would explain a lot about how we react. I also relate to being a visual learner, the structured part of CBT and the naming of certain techniques makes it sound difficult to follow out genuinely during a session and not feel to robotic in a way.
Feb 06, 2025 @ 16:40:57
My understanding of cognitive appraisal and coping in relationship with CBT is that these are the two processes that results in specific behaviors in specific situations. Cognitive appraisal is an attempt to describe how a person will perceive situations through the use of primary appraisal. Through primary appraisal, the individual can determine how the situation will affect them and if there is anything at stake. This appraisal of the situation is usually based upon past experiences that are relevant rather than the inherent traits of the person. How the individual evaluates their situation will determine how they will cope with that situation. The individual may have multiple coping options such as problem focused or emotion focused coping. Through secondary appraisal, the individual determines and selects the coping option that best fits the situation and one that they can afford depending on the resources that are available to them. This results in the behavior that the individual displays in that specific situation. This is very similar to the principles of CBT where how you think, feel, and do can all affect each other. While cognitive appraisal and coping seems to focus on perception being the cause of behavior and by reappraisal an individual can choose more adaptive coping options, it also demonstrates that by changing behaviors through exercises in CBT, the individual may have more coping options when choosing. These exercises in therapy may also help during the appraisal process since cognitive appraisal is based upon past experience. Through the understanding of these principles, a CBT therapist may be able to evaluate a client and better tailor the therapy process to fit that clients needs as well as find new ways to make progress in therapy when therapy comes to a standstill.
While I understand the broadstrokes of CBT I do not think I have grasped or learned enough about the finer details that therapists use. I don’t think I have the ability to apply these skills in a clinical setting yet either as whenever I have to answer questions such as blog posts about CBT, I really have to sit down and recall all the details relevant to CBT. I think I still have a long way to go before being confident enough to use CBT on instinct while taking into account the various factors at play in clinical settings.
Feb 07, 2025 @ 01:55:18
Hi Sam! I like how you mentioned the impact of past experiences in the appraisal of a given situation and how this is more relevant than the personal traits of an individual. This can also connect to the ideas of cognitive structures and schemas that an individual develops based on experiences in life. In CBT the client and therapist work together to examine these structures and modify them as needed. I also agree with your thoughts about not feeling confident enough yet to be able to apply all the CBT skills we have been learning in the clinical setting.
Feb 06, 2025 @ 21:32:40
From my understanding, Lazarus’ and Folkman’s conceptualization of cognitive appraisal and coping is closely related to CBT, due to the focus on an individual’s emotional responses to different situations and how they cope. Lazarus’ and Folkman describe this through primary and secondary appraisal. Primary appraisal is when an individual is initially making judgments that identify a situation as a threat, and then assess the level of potential harm. From there secondary appraisal comes into play, which is when the individual determines if they have the ability to neutralize or cope with the danger (counter-harm resources). Depending on how many negative factors the individual identified in the primary appraisal and how many positive factors were identified in the secondary appraisal determine the perceived risk. This in turn affects how the individual copes. Two examples provided by Lazarus’ and Folkman are problem-focused coping (focusing on the situation causing stress) and emotion-focused coping (focusing on emotions surfacing when situation arises). Cognitive appraisals and coping relate to CBT due to the similar action of understanding an individual’s emotional responses to stimuli. In CBT a clinician works with the client to identify situations the client views as a threat, why the client views the situation as a threat, and then working with the client to restructure cognitions surround the situations and developing coping strategies when facing the situation. Similar to cognitive appraisals, in CBT, if a client identifies high levels of harm and has little abilities to cope with the situation, the client is more likely to perceive the situation as high risk resulting in negative feeling, which may in turn lead to negative behaviors. In terms of coping, CBT is similar due to working with clients to identify coping strategies or behavioral changes while encountering negatively perceived situations, but also working on the emotions/thoughts that occur leading up to and during the situations and how those cognitions can be reframed to more healthy thoughts.
My initial impressions on my abilities to apply CBT as a therapist are that I do feel confident in being able to apply the basic principles of CBT in an academic setting, however I feel less confident in working with clients. This is mainly due to not having prior experience working with clients while in a therapist role. I feel with more practice applying skills learned into role-plays and actively applying approaches in the other courses will enhance my abilities and better prepare me for starting practicum in the summer.
Feb 07, 2025 @ 01:42:53
Hi Brooke! I like how you highlighted that within the appraisal process there is an examination of negative factors in the primary appraisal and positive factors in the secondary appraisal that help to determine how big the perceived risk is. You also did a good job of connecting these concepts to CBT. It is important to mention that cognitive appraisals and coping strategies act as the “glue” between the three major areas of focus in CBT (thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) that have a reciprocal cycle of interaction. I also agree with you that more practice is needed before I can feel confident in applying CBT with clients.
Feb 07, 2025 @ 21:53:24
Hi Brooke!
Your response demonstrates a clear understanding of CBT and how to effectively apply the skills as a future therapist. Based off the knowledge you have given I believe abilities to apply these skills with clients will be extremely strong. It can be very intimidating to think about working with clients without having the CBT experience. I also fear that I am not prepared for actually working with clients but I think once we begin our practicums we will become more comfortable. You got this Brooke and we are all in this together!
Feb 06, 2025 @ 23:20:53
Lazarus and Folkman’s conceptualizations of cognitive appraisal and coping are very important in understanding CBT. Cognitive appraisals are the mediator between a certain event and how an individual reacts to that event. How an individual construes the event is how their subsequent emotional and behavioral reaction is shaped. Some people have more vulnerability or sensitivity to an event based on previous experiences. Cognitive appraisals involve judgment that is partly based on these previous experiences. Lazarus and Folkman describe multiple types of appraisals. Primary appraisals are the initial appraisal of a citation and can be irrelevant, benign, or stressful. The secondary appraisal involves an evaluation of what can be done to overcome or prevent the harm that is being threatened. The individual has to determine whether a coping strategy will be effective and whether they are capable of executing it. Reappraisals occur when new information is gained from the environment that changes the initial appraisal. As mentioned, appraisals inform what method of coping an individual engages in. Emotion-focused and problem-focused coping are addressed by Lazarus and Folkman. Emotion-focused coping focuses on regulating an individual’s emotional response to the given situation and problem-focused coping identifies the source of the stress (could be environmental or personal) and makes the necessary changes to it in order to alleviate the stress. These concepts relate to CBT because one of the ways that therapists help their client is to restructure their thoughts so that they have more adaptive cognitive appraisals of events. CBT also teaches a variety of coping skills that can break the cycle of maladaptive thinking, feeling, and behaving. Some individuals may lack coping skills and others may have maladaptive ones that need to be replaced with adaptive ones.
So far, my understanding and knowledge of CBT is purely based on my academic exposure. Although I feel like I have a good basic understanding of the CBT principles, I am unsure of how smoothly this will translate into working with clients when I start practicum this summer. I think it will be tricky at first to be able to recall all the information in session and then use it to inform my client interactions. I am nervous for these first client interactions to see how well I will be able to recall this knowledge. However, I am confident that having hands on practice is what will solidify my understanding and allow me to be able to apply the techniques and provide basic psychoeducation to clients. It is hard to anticipate what it will be like because every client interaction is different.
Feb 08, 2025 @ 20:35:03
Hi Courtney,
I liked your inclusion of reappraisals as it can relate to how reactions to situations may change and how that can be used in therapy to encourage a client to reappraise their situation to help them improve or encourage a client to choose a more healthy coping method. I also agree that perhaps more hands-on field training in a clinical settings may help make the academic knowledge click into a real world setting
Feb 09, 2025 @ 14:47:51
Hi Courtney,
I like how you mentioned that some people have different vulnerabilities or sensitivities to different situations, that’s something that’s important to consider on an individual basis! It reminds me of how important it is to conduct good intake interviews with clients in case there are any vulnerabilities that could give insight to things like appraisals and certain patterns of appraisals. I am also a bit nervous for summer practicum interactions and trying to remember everything we’ve learned about CBT, but I like to remember that we’re not expected to be perfect, and that the best way to really solidify our knowledge is to practice! Even if we’re not confident, I know it’ll grow overtime 🙂
Feb 09, 2025 @ 18:24:33
Hi Courtney,
You did a great job explaining the concepts of appraisals and coping, showing understanding of the material. I agree with the connections to CBT and wrote a similar explanation. In CBT, a clinician is working with the client to identify situations in which the client experiences distress, and once identified, collaboration occurs as a way to develop strategies to relieve the discomfort the client is feeling. This can be done by addressing the negative beliefs/behaviors and developing coping strategies to create positive change for the client. I also feel nervous for the first interaction when working with a client, however, feel that the hands-on experience will allow for me to apply all the skills and future skills learned into the session!
Feb 07, 2025 @ 20:06:15
Cognitive appraisal is the process of evaluating whether an encounter with the environment is relevant to our well-being, and if there is a threat, what can we do about it.
Lazarus’ and Folkman’s conceptualization of it specifies that cognitive appraisal as the mediator step between an event and our response to it.
According to them, Cognitive appraisal is a process that includes Primary appraisal, Secondary Appraisal, and Reappraisal.
Primary appraisal is the step during which we evaluate the situation and ask “am i in trouble, or being benefited, now or in the future and in what way?”. This may have a response of no threat to the wellbeing, positive benefit, or stressful as in presenting some harm/loss, anticipated threat, anticipated challenge.
Secondary appraisal is asking ourselves, after having detected the presence of a threat or challenge, What can be done about it? Do I have the necessary skills, tools, whats needed to overcome this challenge or threat?! Maybe I have the skills to cope with it, or not. The response of this secondary appraisal will define a lot of the emotional reaction we have towards the event, and our stress about it.
Reappraisal – is an appraisal that follows an earlier appraisal, on the basis of new information received from the environment, which can change the pressure and reaction of the person (continuing with same coping method if working, or changing method if not working/ modify our approach).
These relate with CBT because in CBT we focus on the adaptive and maladaptive coping styles people use. During CBT therapy we stop and analyze the cognitive processes, thoughts and feelings people have in situations, and what coping methods they use to deal with them. What works and what doesn’t and how to change them in more adaptive coping.
2) I feel like I am only now scraping the surface of CBT knowledge and there is more depth to it which I need to learn. I don’t feel yet fully confident in applying it, but hope I can be ready and prepared for the summer internship.
Feb 08, 2025 @ 20:38:10
Hi Sindi,
I really liked how you structured this post. It really helps clear up the different terms that was used in these chapters and makes it easier to read. I also liked how you were able to connect self-efficacy into secondary appraisal. It is really nice to see how the different concepts that we have learned about are starting to connect together in a unified manner
Feb 09, 2025 @ 14:36:52
Cognitive appraisal refers to the process of evaluating an occurrence or event in terms of how it impacts the individual’s well-being, and in what ways this is impacted. Cognitive appraisals are influenced by past experiences and act as a mediator between the actual event and the response of the individual. Appraisals can also be influenced by culture, personality traits, and other environmental factors. Lazarus and Folkman explain how there are two types of cognitive appraisals: primary and secondary. Primary appraisal involves determining whether or not an event concerns an individual’s well-being, and whether or not the event is to be considered a threat or a benefit to that person. After determining if the event is a threat or benefit, there is a secondary appraisal, which is a process that involves figuring out ways to mitigate the threat or ways to improve the benefits. This process often involves the use of coping skills to mitigate any perceived threat and decrease the amount of stress on the individual. Coping can be emotion focused, which involves regulating the emotional response to the problem, especially if the event cannot be changed, or problem-focused, which involves managing or altering the problem-environment related to the stress if it can be changed. My understanding of Lazarus and Folkman’s conceptualization of cognitive appraisal is that they believe this is what determines whether the individual will have an adaptive response to their interpretations of events or not, directly influencing the coping process. People can respond maladaptively to various situations based on their own appraisals. This concept ties into CBT because modifying our interpretations of events in our lives can result in more adaptive emotion focused coping and problem-focused coping. CBT can help to understand an individual’s patterns of appraisals of situations and use that knowledge to modify their appraisals to be more realistic, causing changes in emotional response and behaviors as a result.
My ability to understand and consistently apply the basic principles of CBT as a therapist is somewhat strong. I understand the basic principles well, but I feel like it will be hard to know how to skillfully apply the principles for each unique situation. Especially if there are multiple potential starting points and being able to figure out what to focus on first before moving on to something else. Applying a theory is rarely as clear cut as understanding the theory itself, so I’m looking forward to learning more about applying the theory in real-world contexts!
Feb 09, 2025 @ 17:57:58
Hi Eleni,
I felt your description of appraisals and coping was descriptive and well-written. I like how you included that cognitive appraisals are influenced by an individual’s past experiences, culture, environmental factors, and personality traits; From these experiences, an individual has certain responses to events. The descriptions for primary and secondary appraisals you provided were similar to how I had explained them. I also agree with your connection of appraisals and coping to CBT. CBT explores an individual’s responses to situations, similar to appraisals, and then works with the client to explore ways to modify responses for a positive change in their life. Lastly, I feel the same when it comes to applying the principles to unique situations. I am also looking forward to applying the theory in real-world contexts 🙂
Feb 09, 2025 @ 19:30:26
Lazarus and Folkman’s model of cognitive appraisal and coping aligns closely with CBT’s emphasis on how our thoughts shape our emotions and behaviors. The stress response is broken into two parts, primary and secondary appraisal. Primary appraisal is what you initially interpret the situation (is it a threat or nothing serious?).The secondary appraisal is what you evaluate within yourself and your capabilities (can you personally handle this with the coping tools you have). From a CBT perspective and having experience in being a human, this is true and makes sense. If a client interprets most situations as threatening and overwhelming, they may have more maladaptive thought patterns and coping skills that intensify their distress. CBT works to restructure those appraisals by challenging that negative thinking and helping clients build effective coping strategies. Lazarus and Folkman’s focuses on two main coping styles, problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. Problem-focused coping is about tackling the issue directly through problem-solving, seeking support, etc. Emotion-focused coping is about regulating emotions when the situation itself cannot be changed easily though reframing, mindfulness, etc. CBT incorporates both by helping clients reframe their thoughts and develop practical skills for dealing with life stressors.
My initial impressions of my ability to understand and consistently apply the basic principles of CBT as a therapist is feeling slightly overwhelmed and worried but also intrigued. It is one thing to study CBT and another to actively guide a client though CBT. I anticipate some challenges such as balancing CBT structure with therapeutic and collaborative conversation. I am used to listening, giving advice, and working with people through genuine conversation and work on anything that comes up. CBT is very structured and I will have to learn to get used to those techniques so that I can provide practical and evidence-based approaches. Despite these challenges, I am intrigued that CBT gives clients tools they can actively use. As practicum and internship comes up, I know my confidence in applying CBT will grow with supervision, experience, and self-reflection.