ABSTRACT
Dysfunctional assumptions follow common themes, but the ways individual clients describe and experience them are idiosyncratic. Their negative automatic thoughts will have been generated by a dysfunctional assumption anyway, so now is the time to start to work on them. Explain to the client that dysfunctional assumptions are not always as obvious as their automatic thoughts. The purpose of dealing with dysfunctional assumptions is to prevent the susceptibility to depression in the future. It is the dysfunctional assumptions that generate the negative automatic thoughts that in turn lead to depression. It is often helpful to explain to the client that the dysfunctional assumptions frequently begin in early life. These are called assumptions, and when they are formulated in such a way that they become a problem to the client, we call them dysfunctional assumptions. A more balanced approach to thinking is less extreme, so the aim with the assumption would be to allow the client some escape routes.
