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Christian Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CCBT)

The Importance of Beliefs

(Brian Campbell, Ph.D.)

Resource: What is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Wikipedia: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

The outline below was formulated based upon the information that is required in your Personal Theory Paper (PTP). This information will form the basis of your personal theory. The outline emphasizes the role that beliefs play in the development of psychological disorders.

What is Important for Understanding Human Personality?

  • To understand human personality, it is important to understand the nature and impact of beliefs that people hold
  • What is a belief?
  • Belief: something we assume to be true
  • Not all beliefs are, in reality, true
  • Some beliefs systems are adaptive and lead to mental health
  • Other belief systems are maladaptive and lead to mental illness.
  • Many things we believe in are lies
  • The “lies,” or irrational beliefs, are taught to us by the “world”
  • “Truths” come from the Bible and the Holy Spirit.
  • What we believe can have profound effects on our lives
  • Beliefs affect thinking, behavior, and emotions
  • The role of the Christian counselor it to help clients identify irrational beliefs, challenge them, and replace them with Biblical truths

Personality?

  • Our personalities are shaped by our underlying beliefs
  • The most important concept for understanding human personality is the concept of “belief"
  • Personality can be thought of a complex set of beliefs held by an individual
  • Personality is formed when parents pass on their beliefs to their children
  • Personalities differ because of the nature and types of beliefs that people hold
  • Different personality styles emerge as a result of different underlying belief patterns
  • The core beliefs of individuals are reflective of their personality
  • Personality is also affected by biology—genes, underlying sensitivities, etc.
  • Personality disorders occur when an individual’s core beliefs are maladaptive

Motivation

  • Beliefs are a source of motivation, or lack thereof
  • What we believe motivates us to act and behave in ways consistent with our beliefs
  • Motivation can be affected by different sets of underlying beliefs
  • Motivation can be affected negatively or positively depending upon our underlying beliefs
  • Motivation to be giving, caring, and loving, can result from belief in Jesus Christ and the truths in the Bible
  • Motivation to make money and get rich can result from a belief materialism
  • Lack of motivation can stem from faulty underlying beliefs
  • If people believe that they are dumb or stupid, they may lack motivation to get an education
  • If a person is taught that he/she is lazy, this can affect motivation

Human Development

  • Human development is a key factor in the development of beliefs
  • Most beliefs are learned
  • Parents are a key influence on the development of belief systems
  • The Bible exhorts parents to train their children “in the way they should go.”
  • Parents “teach” their beliefs to their children
  • Parents pass along beliefs about the world, themselves, others, and God
  • The beliefs that parents teach children can be “positive” or “negative”
  • Parents are often the source of “toxic” beliefs
  • Beliefs accumulate over a lifetime
  • The secular world is a major source of irrational beliefs (lies)
  • Children typically don’t evaluate the “truth” of beliefs
  • They typically just accept what we are taught as true
  • As children develop, their belief systems change
  • Young children believe just about anything their parents tell them
  • In many instances, parents teach children false beliefs, or “lies”
  • As children mature, they start to question their beliefs
  • In children, their immature brain sets limit on their thinking capabilities
  • Their beliefs are “simple and childlike.”
  • As the brain develops, the ability to develop more complex belief systems develops
  • Therapy with children typically involves correcting the “false beliefs” taught by parents or the world (such a bullies)
  • We teach children the truth about God and how God “views them.”

Individual Differences

  • Beliefs differ from one individual to another
  • No two people have the exact same set of beliefs
  • Not everyone believes the same thing
  • Different nationalities hold different sets of beliefs.
  • Different races and cultures hold different sets of core beliefs
  • Gender (male/female) also affects core beliefs that individuals develop (are taught) about themselves and the world around them
  • Individual differences in beliefs result from different experiences in the world

Where Are Problems Developed?

  • The root cause of problems is belief in “lies”
  • Problems develop as individuals are taught lies throughout their lives
  • Development of false beliefs usually start in childhood
  • The secular world is a source of false beliefs, or lies.
  • Satan is a source of lies
  • Pastors, teachers, etc. are also a source of lies

Working Definition of Health

  • Mental health is associated with belief in the “Truth”
  • Belief in Jesus Christ
  • Belief in the truths of the Bible
  • Belief in truths revealed by the Holy Spirit
  • Mental health is characterized by “Fruits of the Spirit”
  • Jesus Christ is the source of all truth
  • Jesus is the “way, the truth, and the life
  • Belief in Jesus Christ is the “starting point” for true mental health
  • Belief in Christ brings us to acceptance of, and belief in, the truths of the Bible
  • The Holy Spirit (the “Great Counselor”) is also a source of truth
  • Believing the truths of the Bible results is mental health
  • Our journey into mental health is a journey into the truth
  • The truth sets human beings free
  • Evidence of mental health can be seen in the Fruits of the Spirit

Working Definition of Illness

  • Most psychological problems can be traced to “false beliefs”
  • Mental illness is associated with the belief in “lies”—about ourselves, our world, and about God
  • Maladaptive core beliefs affect thinking, behavior, and emotions
  • “False beliefs” or “lies” typically lead to psychological problems, and “mental illness.”
  • False beliefs negatively affect thinking, behavior, and emotions
  • Faulty beliefs (lies) can separate us and distance us from God

Psychological and Spiritual Illness

  • Belief in lies results in both psychological problems (thinking, emotions, and behavior) and supernatural spiritual problems (separation from God)
  • Failure to believe in our Lord and Savior is the ultimate “spiritual illness”
  • Our flesh and spirit are both affected by belief in lies and failure to believe in Jesus Christ

Role of Integration and Multitasking

  • CCBT fully integrates psychology (CBT) and theology
  • CCBT is an extension of secular CBT
  • Secular treatment techniques and truths emerging from Cognitive therapy are incorporated into CCBT
  • Secular treatment techniques and truths emerging from Behavioral Therapy (and behavior modification) are incorporated into CCBT
  • CCBT involves multitasking.
  • Assessment of irrational beliefs involves obtaining data from a wide variety of sources
  • Information from many different “levels of analysis” is used to help determine the cause and subsequent development of irrational beliefs
  • Client history, background information, interview, questionnaires, and checklists
  • Psychological tests such as the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory—III (MCMI-III) are also utilized
  • Information on medical problems, physical disorders, etc. is also relevant to determine the impacts of these problems on the client’s belief system

How to Source Problems and Structure Effective Interventions

  • Multiple sources of data are obtained to identify the possible cause for the person’s irrational beliefs
  • Clinical interview, client history, questionnaires, and formal psychological testing are utilized to assess the cause of irrational beliefs.
  • Educational history, family history, religious history, medical history, and work history are all evaluated and considered possible causes of irrational beliefs
  • After underlying irrational beliefs are determined, the counselor develops effective techniques to challenge, “break up,” and replace the irrational beliefs with biblical truths

Key Elements of My Theory

  • Identify irrational beliefs
  • Challenge irrational beliefs
  • Replace with Biblical truths
  • The Truth sets you free

Process and Techniques

  • Identify irrational beliefs (lies)
  • Client history
  • Clinical Interview
  • Checklists
  • Questionnaires
  • Formal psychological tests
  • Challenge irrational beliefs
  • Questioning: “Thoughtbusters”
  • Scriptures
  • Prayer
  • Cognitive refutations
  • Help client make behavioral changes that “argue against” irrational beliefs
  • Behavioral Experiments: to test the validity of the irrational belief
  • Replace with biblical truths
  • Positive corrective statements that focus on the truth
  • Scripture memorization
  • Changing activities

Expectations of Effectiveness

  • CCBT is expected to be highly effective
  • Draws upon an already established body of scientific literature which has clearly established the efficacy and superiority of CBT for treating psychological disorders

How Does My Worldview Influence My Theory?

  • To embrace CCBT, the counselor must possess a worldview that integrates secular and religious
  • Belief that “all truth is God’s truth” is a fundamental assumption of CCBT
  • A Christian worldview is fundamental and is at the heart of CCBT
  • Belief in Jesus Christ, the Truth of scripture, the power of prayer, and the power of the Holy Spirit all essential to the theory

Theoretical Considerations and Worldview Dimensions

  • CCBT is limited to counselors with a Christian worldview
  • The theory is robust in that it draws upon scientifically established treatment techniques and extends them into the Christian faith

Approach to Integration

  • Integration lies at the heart of CCBT
  • CCBT fully integrates secular treatment techniques with truths derived from the Christian faith
  • CCBT is an “extension” of traditional CBT to include biblical truths

Conclusion