ABSTRACT
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) 'considers current cognitive functioning crucial to the maintenance and persistence of psychological disturbance'. By staying mainly in the present, the client focuses on modifying their current unhelpful thoughts, assumptions and core beliefs in order to ameliorate their emotional distress. Historical factors that contributed to the person's current problems cannot be modified; current beliefs and behaviours that maintain these problems can be. Sometimes a coachee will complain of a bullying boss, which triggers unpleasant memories of being bullied at school and feeling as helpless then as they do now. The coachee's active stance towards the boss is in stark and welcome contrast to their feelings of helplessness at school when the bully struck. Behaviour plays a very important role in maintaining problems as individuals act in ways that support their unhelpful beliefs.
