Ritu, a second-year college student, was often ignored by her parents as a child. Last month a teacher mocked her answer in front of the whole class. Since then the same thoughts keep coming back to her: 'I am stupid', 'Nobody likes me', 'I will fail'. She now feels anxious and low on most days. In therapy, her counsellor does not argue or lecture. Instead, she asks calm questions such as 'Why must everyone like you?' and 'What does failing mean to you?' Over the sessions, Ritu begins to look at these thoughts from the opposite side, and her anxiety and low mood ease.
Identify the process by which the counsellor's questions are meant to reduce Ritu's anxiety and low mood.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Cognitive restructuring
Option (1) Catharsis — Incorrect. Catharsis is the emotional unburdening a client does while telling the problem in the first sessions. Ritu's counsellor is gently questioning her thoughts, so this does not fit.
Option (2) ABC analysis — Incorrect. ABC analysis is the first step of Ellis's RET. It notes the antecedent event, the irrational belief and the consequence. It only maps the problem; the questions here aim to change Ritu's thoughts.
Option (3) Cognitive restructuring — Correct. 'I am stupid' and 'I will fail' are negative automatic thoughts, set off by a core schema from her childhood and the teacher's mocking (Beck). Gentle, non-threatening questions make her think in the opposite direction. The aim is cognitive restructuring, a change in her faulty thought structures, which in turn reduces anxiety and depression.
Option (4) Free association — Incorrect. Free association is a psychodynamic method. The client says whatever comes to mind and the therapist mostly listens, to bring unconscious conflicts out. Ritu's counsellor asks pointed questions about her thoughts instead.
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