Reflection Paper on Cognitive
Behavior Therapy
Counseling Theory and Practice
5/2/2013
Jesslyn Guenther
Jesslyn Guenther
Reflection Paper on Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Counseling Theory and Practice
5/2/13
Reflection Paper on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
I really like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy because it makes me think a lot about myself
and my thoughts. The way I think today has a lot to do with how I felt as a child. I
thought of myself as not good enough to be seen or heard and I was extremely afraid of
rejection so I had a lot of trouble confronting people.
I still think like this today, but not nearly as much as I used too. Going back to school
has really helped me to think differently. When I first went back to school, I didn’t know
how I would do because in high school I didn’t do very good because I was so afraid to
raise my hand and ask questions for fear of being rejected or made fun of. It was hard
at first, but in college I raised my hand and asked a question and was so surprised that
the teacher was very willing to answer and my peers didn’t make fun of me. It totally
changed my perception of school and I have talked in class ever since and I think some
teachers wish that I would shut up now.
There was also a time, not long ago, when I would have totally disagreed with Ellis’s
statement that people do not need to be accepted and loved in order to be happy. I can
now see what he is talking about. I thought I needed a man in my life, no matter how
Jesslyn Guenther
Reflection Paper on Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Counseling Theory and Practice
5/2/13
poorly he treated. Just knowing that he wanted me made me feel accepted and I
thought that was better than not having anyone at all.
I finally decided that I couldn’t be treated poorly anymore and I am now living on my
own. I thought I would be so depressed being alone, but I’m actually pretty happy. If I
start feeling lonely and unloved, I tell myself that I could be with someone who treats me
poorly instead, and I immediately feel better knowing that things could be worse. I found
out that the way I think about things has a lot to do with how I feel. Another example is;
If I’m feeling like I have life so rough and I can’t afford something, I now think about
people who are homeless and have nothing or about poor starving children and then my
thinking changes to, “I have life pretty good”.
This theory has great relevance to my development as a professional AODA counselor
because I will use it to try to help my client’s change their way of thinking in order to
change the way they feel and behave about things. If I feel my client has trouble
confronting people or even speaking up in class (if they go to school) because they are
afraid of rejection, I will help them to modify their way of thinking and that it is okay to be
rejected. One rejection or even more doesn’t define them as being no good. I will give
them homework to confront at least two people by just saying” hi” to start with and more
if they feel comfortable after that. I will also have them raise their hand in class and ask
a question or make a comment about something referring to class and then write down
how they felt and what they were thinking in both these situations so that we can
discuss it at our next session.
Jesslyn Guenther
Reflection Paper on Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Counseling Theory and Practice
5/2/13
I have already made changes in my life using this theory by changing the way I think
about things and the way I perceive these thoughts. I have learned to think about what I
used to think of as something bad that happened in my life, as something that
happened for a reason and that I need to take this bad thing and make something good
out of it. For example; I thought why did I meet and get involved with an alcoholic who
treated me terrible and just made me depressed? I now think about it as, I met this
person for a reason, because it led me in the direction of going to school to be an AODA
counselor which I’m very happy about.
I have shared my reflections about this theory and how I have used it to my advantage
in my own life with my peers and Al-anon members. I will also use this theory to help my
family and friends learn to modify their irrational ways of thinking.