What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

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Cognitive behavioral therapy rests on a simple insight: The way we think shapes how we feel and act. When thinking becomes distorted (when we see the world in black and white, assume the worst about others’ intentions or motivations), suffering follows. Decades of clinical research have established this across anxiety, depression, and personality disorders.

What happens when required trainings for therapists encourage those same distortions?

In a recent article in Open Inquiry in Mental Health, psychologist Andrew Hartz identifies six psychological dynamics commonly embedded in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs that map onto the cognitive distortions clinicians spend years helping clients overcome. As Hartz clarifies, although the term “DEI” has fallen out of favor in many institutions, the underlying ideas have not disappeared; they continue to appear in clinical training programs and mental health workplaces, sometimes repackaged under different labels. He is also careful to note that not every training that falls under this umbrella exhibits all of the dynamics he describes, but it is also far from rare for some of them to show up. These programs are not just for corporate employees; they are increasingly standard in clinical training programs, professional development requirements, and mental health institutions. Many therapists who are supposed to treat cognitive distortions are trained in environments that promote them.

Take, for example, all-or-nothing........

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