ABSTRACT
In a series of statements first laid out in 1965, and renewed and updated in various publications right up until 2021, Aaron and Judith Beck have described a set of therapeutic principles concerning theory – e.g., ‘Cognitive therapy is based on a conceptualisation in cognitive-behavioural terms’ and practice – e.g., ‘Cognitive therapy builds on the identification of unhelpful automatic thoughts’. The chapter describes how these principles have evolved, been amended and updated as the cognitive therapy model has developed. For example, earlier versions described cognitive therapy as a ‘short-term model’ but later versions have described how a more flexible approach to the length of therapy becomes more necessary as more complex problems are addressed.
