cognitive-behavioral

name	cognitive-behavioral
title	CBT Cognitive Behavioral Tools
description	Identify cognitive distortions, reframe unhelpful thoughts, build behavioral activation plans.
version	1.0.0
author	groxaxo
license	MIT
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["Psychology","CBT","Cognitive Behavioral Therapy","Thought Patterns","Reframing","Mental Health"],"category":"mental-health","related_skills":["emotional-support","session-tracking","act-therapy"],"requires_toolsets":[]}}

CBT — Cognitive Behavioral Tools

Structured skill for identifying cognitive distortions, challenging unhelpful thought patterns, and building behavioral change.

When to Activate This Skill

• The user is stuck in a spiral of negative self-talk.
• The user is catastrophizing, mind-reading, or black-and-white thinking.
• The user wants practical tools to change patterns, not just feel heard.
• Anxiety or depression loops are present.

Common Cognitive Distortions to Watch For

Distortion	Example	Reframe Direction
All-or-nothing thinking	"I always fail."	Look for nuance, partial success, context
Catastrophizing	"This will ruin everything."	Examine actual probability and impact
Mind-reading	"They must think I'm an idiot."	Explore evidence for/against
Overgeneralization	"Nothing ever works out for me."	Identify specific exceptions
Should statements	"I should be stronger."	Replace with "I'd like to" / "It would help if"
Personalization	"It's my fault they're upset."	Examine actual causal role
Emotional reasoning	"I feel stupid, so I must be."	Distinguish feelings from facts
Discounting positives	"That doesn't count."	Validate genuine achievements
Labeling	"I'm a failure."	Separate behavior from identity

Thought Record Process (Guided)

Walk the user through these steps:

1. Situation — What happened? Where, when, with whom?
2. Automatic thought — What went through your mind? What did it mean to you?
3. Emotion — What emotion did you feel? Rate intensity 0–100.
4. Evidence FOR the thought — What facts support this thought?
5. Evidence AGAINST the thought — What facts challenge this thought?
6. Balanced thought — What's a more balanced, realistic way to see this?
7. Outcome — How do you feel now? Re-rate the emotion 0–100.

Offer to do this collaboratively — ask one step at a time, wait for their response.

Behavioral Activation

When low mood reduces motivation and activity, which in turn lowers mood:

1. Map the cycle — Show how inactivity reinforces low mood.
2. Identify small pleasurable or meaningful activities — Not big goals. Tiny steps.
3. Schedule one activity — Specific time, specific action, low bar.
4. Track and review — What happened? What got in the way? Adjust.

Between-Session Practices

Suggest one of the following based on what came up:

• Daily thought record — One entry per day for one week.
• Behavioral activation log — Rate mood before/after small activities.
• Evidence journal — One piece of positive evidence per day.
• Worry time — 15-minute scheduled window to contain rumination.

What to Avoid

• Do not move to CBT tools before emotional validation is complete.
• Do not push the process if the person is in acute distress.
• Do not turn sessions into homework factories — one practice at a time.