ABSTRACT
Socratic questioning has been called a cornerstone of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). In CBT, Socratic questioning is a method of guided discovery whereby the therapist's questions encourage clients to step back from their problematic thinking in order to examine it objectively in terms of accuracy and usefulness. This examination helps clients to develop more helpful attitudes and actions to aid problem solving and goal achievement. Through Socratic questioning, people are able to reach their own conclusions rather than being told what these should be by the questioner. Individuals usually feel a greater sense of ownership of their new ideas if they're encouraged 'to let their brains take the strain' and think things through for themselves, aided by the coach's prompts. To cope with their discomfort, coaches might quickly end the silence with verbal 'noise' or offer their own answer to the coachee.
