Read response and state your thoughts

Cognitive behavioral therapy can be a hard concept for anyone to understand, especially when working with young kiddos. I found a handful of helpful worksheets to use that I will link below. It may help kids understand the correlation between their thoughts, emotions, feelings, and behaviors. If a child was having negative thoughts about a situation, worksheets like these can change those thoughts into positive ones. Over time, they will begin to see the change. They will begin to understand how and why their emotions/feelings influence their behaviors. I utilize this therapy every day without even knowing. As a para, I manage the kids' behaviors and help them through any big emotions they may be feeling. It is important to get across the fact that their behavior is influenced by their emotion. A common example of this could be when a peer instigates another peer. If child #2 starts acting up due to the instigating behaviors, he/she is letting their emotions influence their behavior. The main components of CBT that should be routinely provided in psychoeducation are

1. Case Conceptualization (therapist & client work together to describe and explain the issues)

2. Nature of Automatic Thoughts (negative self-talk)

3. Types of Cognitive Distortions (negative patterns of thinking)

Psychoeducation in CBT interventions provides information to clients in order to increase their knowledge about their presenting problems/diagnoses, explain their case conceptualization, and provide a clear rationale for the treatment approach and implementation. Education may look different for everyone depending on age and mental capacity. When working with children, the concept of CBT may be difficult to begin to understand. Breaking the main components down into simpler terms is the best way to explain to kiddos. Understanding why you are there, breaking the patterns of negative self-talk, and breaking the negative patterns of thinking are major key components of CBT treatment.