Negative Thinking

7th January 2016

As BABCP Accredited Practitioners, with many years of experience of the practice of CBT, we at ACT Counselling Services never stand still in relation to our own knowledge and development as it is this that we seek to pass onto our clients, Students and Supervisees.

Psychoeducational process

  • A woman with images of negative thoughts around her head
  • A black head with scrunched balls of paper representing thinking and a white head with cogs representing thinking

We travel the UK meeting CBT Tutors, Practitioners and Supervisors who still report frustrations in implementing a coherent Psychoeducational process that teaches others how to elegantly identify and challenge unhelpful thinking styles and come up with alternative balanced thoughts.
Indeed, we still hear the language of ‘changing negative thinking to positive thinking.’ We would suggest that this language is firstly disrespectful to the Human Condition. We subscribe to the theory that we have evolved to scan for more threat as a safety mechanism and by goodness, this ‘negative thinking’ will have worked at some point, otherwise, we as Human Beings would not be doing it.

The Stone Age Family

  • A Stone Age family around a campfire cooking dinner
  • A Sabre Toothed Tiger and a caveman with a spear looking at each other

Our readers may have already heard the story about the Stone Age family who did not have a care in the world until the first member was snatched by a sabre-toothed tiger. Wonder how carefree they were the next time they turned their back to fill the water pouch, turned an unexplored corner or indeed ventured out the cave. Would they be engaging in ‘negative thinking?’

The ACT Counselling Services approach

  • A thought process, the problem, the thinking, the solution and the action with four heads visually showing this
  • The word impossible with a red cross through the first two letters so it read possible

At ACT Counselling Services we have designed our own Psychoeducation process that can help identify, clarify and evaluate unhelpful thoughts, with a view to generating some alternative balanced and helpful thoughts. It begins with a ‘State’ and it ends with ‘Although.’ There are of course a few stages in between. By engaging in any of the Services offered on the ACT Counselling Services website (Therapy, Supervision, Diploma, Short Courses) you will discover this fascinating process for yourself.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

If you are looking for therapists who offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for a range of mental health issues you can read more about it on this page. We offer therapy at Act Counselling and CBT Services and are happy to speak with you today should you wish to find out more and book in with one of our therapists. Get in touch with us today via our online contact form or call us on 0141 554 0838.

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