Change Your Thinking: Overcome Stress, Anxiety & Depression, and Improve Your Life with CBT


Buy It Now!

Clinicians, general public will find book useful
(June 2008 Issue)

“Change Your Thinking:
Overcome Stress, Anxiety & Depression, and Improve Your Life with CBT”
By Sarah Edelman, Ph.D.
Marlow & Company
New York, N.Y., 2007

By James K. Luiselli, Ed.D., ABPP, BCBA

There are many psychology self-help books on the market offering advice about clinical problems, achieving personal wellbeing and managing life crises. My belief is that these books work best when they have a narrow focus that resonates with the reader and is based on established principles. "Change Your Thinking" is just such as book.

Psychologist Sarah Edelman wrote the book to inform the public about cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and how to apply it when confronted with distress, anger and sadness. She emphasizes that her book is not a substitute for therapy when someone has a diagnosed psychological disorder. This caveat is appropriate, notwithstanding the many self-guided strategies she presents.

The first three chapters cover the origins of CBT and commonly accepted practices aimed at recognizing faulty thinking and disrupting negative cognitions. Consistent with the CBT paradigm, Edelman notes that our thoughts and beliefs largely determine how we feel. By changing our illogical "self-dialogue," we experience a better quality of life.

Each of the remaining chapters examines a particular life-problem: frustration, anger, anxiety, poor self-esteem and depression. The chapters abound with useful information about using CBT to recognize what "causes" the problem and how the problem can be overcome by changing what a person "thinks about it."

Many of the CBT strategies that Edelman recommends are repeated in each problem-specific chapter. For example, she illustrates different ways to counter illogical beliefs through "Socratic reasoning," thought disruption and reframing. The book also shows how other behavioral methods such as exposure, graduated practice, relaxation and activity planning can be implemented in conjunction with CBT.

"Change Your Thinking" gives an accurate picture of CBT, its application, and how it compares to other psychological therapies. Edelman relies heavily on the seminal work of Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck, but also presents a "next generation" perspective that builds on earlier practice and research.

One of the many strengths of the book is that Edelman writes clearly, without technical jargon or complex prose. Because the book is easy to understand, readers should be able to quickly grasp the content. Easy comprehension also is aided by many case examples, worksheets, simple exercises and summary sections in each chapter.

How best to use this book? Certainly, anyone interested in CBT will be informed by reading some or all of the chapters. In other cases, some people will be able to learn cognitive-change methods on their own. For those individuals participating in CBT, the book would be a good resource to share with, or perhaps be recommended by, a therapist.

Mental health professionals practicing CBT should read the book to hone their skills. I found it useful in reviewing specific techniques and implementation in a self-help context. The book also will appeal to clinicians who are curious about but less acquainted with CBT. It is rare to find a book that speaks equally well to the lay public and professionals alike but admirably, "Change Your Thinking" is one of them.

James K. Luiselli, Ed.D., ABPP, BCBA, is senior vice president, applied research, clinical training and peer review at the May Institute in Norwood, Mass.