By making negative interpretations, and using certain behavioral pattents, it is possible a client will reinforce their distorted thinking. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps clients understand the impact of their emotions and thoughts on their feelings. Below are some tools that will aid CBT practitioners to provide guidance to their clients.

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How therapists understand their clients in CBT - Assessment

Assessment tools can be used at regular intervals throughout therapy and can help the client and therapist to establish if what they are doing together is working and, if not, to determine what needs to be changed. It can be very helpful for a client to see their progress and to determine what may be hindering their development by using the same assessment tools throughout therapy. Assessment tools include questions or statements that can give the therapist an indication of risk or self-harm.

During assessment, the therapist will determine whether the client is suitable for CBT; there are a number of factors to consider. Safran (1993) identified ten predictors of good therapy outcomes in short-term CBT. A client may have better outcomes if:

• They are able to access and identify their thoughts in sessions
• They have the ability and awareness to differentiate their emotions – the capacity to label them
• They can demonstrate a self-efficacy, in that they are able to accept responsibility for change
• They are able to see how CBT may help them
• They are able to form a therapeutic relationship with the therapist
• Their problems are not too acute or chronic
• The client is able to remain focused in therapy and work on their problems
• They have not built up defences to control their anxiety/depression that would be difficult to change in therapy
• They have some optimism about the outcome of therapy.