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Applying CBT in our High School Psychology Classes
How can the concepts that are used by cognitive behavior therapists be useful to teachers in the classroom to help their students learn better and feel better about themselves? Dr. Aaron Beck, the “father” of cognitive therapy, had some great suggestions for the high school teachers at the APA Convention this past August, in a session sponsored by TOPSS.
Many of the high school students we work with every day are still using trial and error to learn and to deal with problems in the classroom and at home. They would be much better off using inductive reasoning and more scientific thinking to solve problems but they often let their emotions get in the way and instead the problem gets worse, not better. Often they behave impulsively, jumping to conclusions, forming misconceptions and reacting in ways that get them in trouble.
As teachers you are quite aware of the misconceptions your students
develop, both of themselves and of others. Do these sound familiar?
- When they cannot do “one” thing, they cannot do anything right
- If one person does not like them, or rejects them, then “no body” likes them
- If they have a problem with one teacher, then “all” teachers are a problem for them
These misconceptions often result in behaviors that at non-productive:
- Students who do not think they are smart do not act smart
- Students who think they are a failure continue to fail
- Students labeled (i.e., ADD, LD, remedial) achieve only what is expected of them, and often make excuses using their label
This kind of self-talk that students do may be the root to their misbehavior, both academically and behaviorally. The basic premises of cognitive therapy seem so appropriate when applied to student issues that we need to help them overcome. As stated in Cognitive Therapy and The Emotional
Disorders:
…problems are not necessarily the product of mysterious, impenetrable forces but may result from commonplace processes such as faulty reasoning, making incorrect inferences on the basis of inadequate information or incorrect information…thinking can be unrealistic because it is derived from erroneous premises; behavior can be self-defeating because it is based on unreasonable attitudes…(Beck, 1979)
This was the hypothesis Beck made about his patients and these are the same thoughts and unreasonable attitudes we see in our students. Their inability to change them is so common! The egocentric personality of many teenagers, their habit of personalizing everything that happens around them and the way they think in absolutes are often the root causes of their inappropriate behavior.
Emotional maturity may be what the students are lacking and the skills that accompany this maturity are what we need to teach them. The ability to think ahead and to consider the consequences of their behavior needs to be developed. How to distance themselves from external situations and realize not everything is about them would lead to more positive behaviors. Sensitivity to others, listening skills and considering the rights of others to gain a perspective different from their own could help develop understanding and more thoughtful reactions to situations that develop around them. The art of compromise – and its benefits – might help to develop more positive peer relationships.
Maybe while we are teaching psychology we could apply psychological principles to help students learn more effective ways of dealing with the issues. If students’ automatic thoughts can be identified as the root cause of their problem then maybe they can be taught to “catch it, check it and correct it” before it gets out of hand. If we can help them modify their maladaptive responses to stimuli in their environment then maybe they will be more successful in school, and hopefully in life.
What draws students to psychology is the fact that it relates to all areas of their lives. As teachers we can model how to use these techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy by providing time for self-assessment, problem reduction and other meta-cognitive activities. What better way to make psychology more meaningful and useful in the world outside of our classroom.
Debra Park, Psychology Teacher, West Deptford High School, Westville NJ with Aaron T. Beck, University Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania.
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