What is Guided Discovery in CBT?
Guided discovery is a form of Socratic questioning in cognitive behavioral therapy. But it is different than the general process used in the Socratic questioning. Instead, in guided discovery, there's no direct aim for the conversations.
Here's an overview of the process for the technique:
- First, gathering data by asking the client questions about their problems.
- Next, review the new information collected from the conversation with the client.
- Finally, apply the insight or synthesis of the information to the original problem or perspective.
The point of guided discovery is to bring about awareness. And collaborate to discover insight rather than answering the problem for the client. That way, the information would be more engaging and helpful in its application.
Using Guided Discovery for Behavioral Interventions
The questioning process can lead to a deeper understanding of values and beliefs. The foundation of cognitive behavioral therapy is to change underlying thought patterns. And a change in thought processes can lead to a change in maladaptive behaviors.
In CBT, there's the assumption that the problem stems from the client's internal cognitive process. Hence, guided discovery is the key to resolving issues by unlocking new perspectives. So it gives clients insight into seeing their problems in a new direction.
Often, in the face of a situation, the person goes into what CBT calls Negative Automatic Thoughts. It is a negative thought pattern that persists like a habit that occurs in the face of situations. And cognitive behavioral therapy aims to bring awareness to alternative perspectives.
Example of Guided Discovery in CBT
Here's an example of a guided discovery conversation to help counter a thought pattern:
Client: I don't think my life is worth living.
Therapist: What makes you say that?
Client: I know the world wouldn't be different even if I didn't exist.
Therapist: Can you explain why you think that way?
Client: Well, I'm sure my family would still go on fine without me. And my siblings would still have a happy life with their own families one day. My friends would also find their purpose in life even when I am not there.
Therapist: Do you think that they wouldn't miss you? Maybe, they wouldn't say the same. What do you think your friends or close ones might say to that?
Client: I think my sibling might tell me that I'm someone who has inspired them countless times. I had made them smile and laugh, be there for them when they needed comfort.
Therapist: Does that not seem like your life has been purposeful for the people around you?
Client: I guess it does now that you pointed it out for me. But I still feel like they would do fine without me.
Therapist: What makes you say that? In what ways does it seem that way?
Client: Without me, they could still go on to lead a happy life.
Therapist: But what if you were there with them? Do you think you could make their life even happier?
Client: I guess you're right about that. I never thought about it in that way. But it just takes a lot of strength to live, and I'm defeated inside.
Therapist: There are a lot of helpful methods we can try to help you resolve that feeling you currently have.
Application of Guided Discovery for Depression
The most practical use of guided discovery is for questioning the depressive mindset. People with depression often have a habit of extreme negative thinking. And the ideas in guided discovery could help counter depressing thoughts.
Maladaptive thought patterns arise from past experiences that help support them as facts. But beliefs are not permanently fixed in place. The awareness of opposing situations or facts can counter the existing perspectives.
People with depression can keep notes of these thoughts that they are having and write them down. Then, it can be practical to put themselves in the role of a therapist. That way, they can create a guided discovery dialogue alone at home.
When you put that annoying thought down in words, it allows you to reflect on its truism. The guided discovery process could be helpful beyond the therapy setting. It is invaluable to use a written dialogue to separate the thought onto paper for analysis.
Guided discovery dialogue to do at home:
- Write down the thought that is occupying you at the moment. It can also be a problem that is disturbing you.
- Put yourself in the role of a therapist and engage in a conversational dialogue. What questions can you ask to clarify the situation further?
- Continue the question and answer process until concluding by resolving the issue.
Tips for Using CBT Discovery Questioning
- We can ask questions that imply there is one truth or capture the excitement of discovery.
- Don't worry about where the questioning process will wind up.
- When too focused on a single destination, you will miss the detours leading to a better place.
- The purpose of the dialogues is not to change the person's mind. Instead, it is to guide the discovery of new answers.
- Mindfulness of alternative viewpoints shifts the ground on mindless cognitive reactions to events.
- The answer that best fits the client may be the answer they discover on their own. Not the solution that the therapist provides to the client.
- Ask questions you're curious about or interested in to hear the answers.
