International Journal of Cognitive Therapy 

About: International Journal of Cognitive Therapy is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Anxiety & Cognition. It has an ISSN identifier of 1937-1209. Over the lifetime, 449 publications have been published receiving 8967 citations.

The Three-Step Theory (3ST): A New Theory of Suicide Rooted in the "Ideation-to-Action" Framework

Abstract: Klonsky and May (2014) argued that an “ideation-to-action” framework should guide suicide theory, research, and prevention. From this perspective, (a) the development of suicide ideation and (b) the progression from ideation to suicide attempts are distinct processes with distinct explanations. The present article introduces a specific theory of suicide rooted in the ideation-to-action framework: the Three-Step Theory (3ST). First, the theory hypothesizes that suicide ideation results from the combination of pain (usually psychological pain) and hopelessness. Second, among those experiencing both pain and hopelessness, connectedness is a key protective factor against escalating ideation. Third, the theory views the progression from ideation to attempts as facilitated by dispositional, acquired, and practical contributors to the capacity to attempt suicide. To examine the theory, the authors administered self-report measures to 910 U.S. adults utilizing Amazon's Mechanical Turk (oversampling for ideation a...

Repetitive negative thinking as a transdiagnostic process

Abstract: The current paper provides an updated review of repetitive negative thinking as a transdiagnostic process. It is shown that elevated levels of repetitive negative thinking are present across a large range of Axis I disorders and appear to be causally involved in the maintenance of emotional problems. As direct comparisons of repetitive negative thinking between different disorders (e.g., GAD–type worry and depressive rumination) have generally revealed more similarities than differences, it is argued that repetitive negative thinking is characterized by the same process across disorders, which is applied to a disorder–specific content. On the other hand, there is some evidence that—within given disorders—repetitive negative thinking can be reliably distinguished from other forms of recurrent cognitions, such as obsessions, intrusive memories or functional forms of repeated thinking. An agenda for future research on repetitive negative thinking from a transdiagnostic perspective is presented.

An introduction to compassion focused therapy in cognitive behavior therapy.

Abstract: This article outlines the early origins of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) from within the Cognitive Behavioral tradition (CBT). It will then focus on how our new understanding in the areas of affect regulation systems, and the importance of affiliative and kind relationships in regulating mental states, point to key processes that underpin mental health difficulties—as well as to possible mechanisms for therapy and change. CFT recognizes the huge debt to Eastern psychologies such as Buddhism that have articulated the importance of compassion for our personal and social well-being for thousands of years. However CFT was originally developed for, and with, people who suffer from high levels of shame and self-criticism and who find experiences of support, kindness, and compassion—both from themselves and from others—difficult or even frightening. The article will provide the conceptual background for the articles that follow which focus on the applications of CFT.

Mechanisms of Change in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Preliminary Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an effective treatment for reducing depressive relapse as well as residual depressive symptoms among adults with recurrent depression but the specific mechanisms through which this treatment works have yet to be examined. This study investigated MBCT's immediate (pre to post) effects on depressive symptoms and its potential theory-driven change mechanisms in a wait-list randomized control trial. Recurrently depressed patients, the majority of them in partial remission, were randomized to either an 8-week MBCT group (N = 26) or a wait-list control group (N = 19). Participants completed measures of depressive symptoms as well as measures of rumination and trait mindfulness before and after the intervention. Consistent with the MBCT change theory, bootstrapping-based mediation analyses demonstrated that reductions in brooding (an aspect of rumination) and increases in mindfulness independently and uniquely (accounting for other mediators) mediated the effects of ...

Cognitive Behavioral Processes Across Psychological Disorders: A Review of the Utility and Validity of the Transdiagnostic Approach

Abstract: The transdiagnostic approach states that there are key cognitive and behavioral processes responsible for maintaining symptoms and these are shared across psychological disorders (Harvey, Watkins, Mansell, & Shafran, 2004). The first goal of this article is to justify the potential utility of a transdiagnostic perspective for theory, research and treatment using empirical evidence and clinical vignettes. We then take as an example one set of cognitive processes—attentional processes—to illustrate the approach. Evidence for three attentional processes is provided: vigilance to external concern–related stimuli; vigilance to internal concern–related stimuli (self–focused attention) and attentional avoidance. It is concluded that each of these attentional processes are transdiagnostic. We then discuss three possible resolutions to the question: How can a transdiagnostic perspective be valid when the different psychological disorders present so differently? The three proposals are: (1) variations in idiosyncra...