Deliberate Practice in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Deliberate practice exercises help students and trainees rehearse fundamental cognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT) skills todevelop basic competenceand hone their own personal therapeutic style. Each book in the Essentials of Deliberate Practice series contain customized exercises consisting ofrole-playing scenarios in which two trainees act as a client and a therapist, switching back and forth under the guidance of a supervisor.The trainee playing the therapist improvises appropriate and authentic responsestoa series of client statements organized into three difficulty levels-beginner, intermediate, and advanced-that reflect common problems and concerns encountered byCBT practitioners. The first exercises each focus on a single skill, such as establishing goals for treatment assigning and reviewing between-session exercises working with various client cognitions, behaviors, and emotions and addressing relationship ruptures and client resistance. These are followed by two comprehensive exercises-an annotated transcript and free-form mock therapy sessions-in which trainees integrate these essential skills into a single CBT session. Step-by-step instructions guide participants through the exercises, identify criteria for mastering each skill, and explain how to monitor and adjust difficulty. Guidelines to help trainers and trainees get the most out of training are also provided.