Cognitive Therapy in Groups
Session 5
Countering Logical Errors
Cognitive Therapy in Groups: Guidelines and Resources for Practice, Second Edition.
By Michael Free. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Two Ways of Changing Your
Surface Thinking
 Changing the process using appropriate
logic.
 Changing the content of the belief or
automatic thought.
Cognitive Therapy in Groups: Guidelines and Resources for Practice, Second Edition.
By Michael Free. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Countering by Changing Logic
Change
Logical
Errors to
Appropriate
Logic
Activating
event
Stream of consciousness
(Includes awareness of sensation
Automatic Thoughts
Positive ATs
Accurate Belief
Reduced negative
emotion
Emotional
Consequence
Behaviour
(strategies)
Good Logic
Different behaviour
Logical
Processes
Schema
Countering by Changing Beliefs or
Propositions
Change the
belief by
countering
Stream of consciousness
(Includes awareness of sensation
Automatic Thoughts
Positive ATs
Activating
event
Accurate Belief
Reduced negative
emotion
Emotional
Consequence
Behaviour
(strategies)
Different behaviour
Schema
Countering Definition
 A counter is an alternate proposition to
a Negative Thought, irrational belief or
false proposition.
 Countering includes such activities as
using appropriate logic, arguing with
yourself logically and behaving in a way
contrary to the false proposition.
Cognitive Therapy in Groups: Guidelines and Resources for Practice, Second Edition.
By Michael Free. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Rules of Countering
1. A Counter is directly opposite to the false
belief, preferably stated positively and
with intensity.
2. A Counter is based on appropriate logic .
3. A Counter is a believable statement of
reality.
4. A Counter is your own.
5. A Counter is concise
Cognitive Therapy in Groups: Guidelines and Resources for Practice, Second Edition.
By Michael Free. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Devising Counters Example
Group
Cognitive
Therapy
Devising Counters Worksheet
Automatic Thought–
Belief
Appropriate Logic
I’ll never get my
book done
Appropriate
Probability
Evidence
I mostly meet
dead lines
I'm half way
through & I
have six
months to go
I'm getting
one day/week
to work on it
Counter
I’ll probably get
my book done
Types of Appropriate Logic
• Objective Assessment • Accurate description
• Appropriate probability • ‘Shades of Grey’ thinking
• Valid allocation of responsibility • Statement of desire
• Even-handed weighting
• Description of ALL the information • Description of the evidence
• Analysis of Pros and Cons
Cognitive Therapy in Groups: Guidelines and Resources for Practice, Second Edition.
By Michael Free. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Logical Errors and Appropriate Logic
Logical Error
Appropriate Logic
More dire than justified
Objective Assessment
Unjustified Negative Prediction
Appropriate probability
False Absolute
Accurate description
Overgeneralisation
Accurate description
Black & White Thinking
Relative “Shades of Grey thinking
Biased Weighting
Even-handed weighting
Ignoring Facts
Consideration of ALL the information
Invalid allocation of responsibility
Valid allocation of responsibility
Mindreading
Stay with the evidence
Must or Should
Statement of desire
Emotional Reasoning
Analysis of Pros and Cons
Cognitive Therapy in Groups: Guidelines and Resources for Practice, Second Edition.
By Michael Free. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sentence Stems for Process Counters
Logical Error
 More dire than justified:
 Unjustified negative prediction/


Overgeneralisation
Invalid allocation of responsibility


Mindreading
Biased weighting

Ignoring Facts



Black & White thinking/False Absolutes
Arbitrary Thinking (Shoulds)
Emotional Reasoning
Sentence Stem
 The facts are…
 The highest probability outcome is….
 The specific information is…
 Appropriate apportionment of
responsibility is…
 I don’t know what x is thinking
 This source indicates…that
indicates…
 An objective observer would describe
the situation…
 The relative or shades of grey
position is…
 My preference/desire is…
 The pros and cons are…
Cognitive Therapy in Groups: Guidelines and Resources for Practice, Second Edition.
By Michael Free. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exercise: Developing Counters
Develop Counters based on the
Logical Errors or beliefs you have
identified
Cognitive Therapy in Groups: Guidelines and Resources for Practice, Second Edition.
By Michael Free. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Process Perceptual Shift Example
Group
Cognitive
Therapy
Automatic Thought–Belief
I’ll never get my
book done
Process Perceptual Shift Worksheet
Appropriate
Logic
AP
Counter
I’ll probably get
my book done
E vidence
*I mostly meet
deadlines
*I'm half way
through & I
have six
months to go
*I'm getting
one day/week
to work on it
Cognitive Therapy in Groups: Guidelines and Resources for Practice, Second Edition.
By Michael Free. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Countering Using Index Cards
On one side write the irrational belief:
I am worthless
And on the other write the counter and the evidence:
I am worthwhile
Evidence
My religion teaches that all people are
worthwhile
My society considers even quite
impaired people to
be worthwhile
Cognitive Therapy in Groups: Guidelines and Resources for Practice, Second Edition.
By Michael Free. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Individual Work from Session 5
1. Devise Counters for as many of
your ABCs as you have been able
to identify Logical Errors for so far.
2. Complete Process Perceptual Shift
Worksheets for those same ABCs.
3. Rehearse some of your Perceptual
Shifts each night.
Cognitive Therapy in Groups: Guidelines and Resources for Practice, Second Edition.
By Michael Free. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.