Curious about ways to adapt CBT counseling strategies for Autism?

Let’s explore what CBT is and how to present CBT strategies for Autism so they are understood and utilized to create a better quality of life, more flexible problem-solving, and better emotional control.

It’s true that some people on the autism spectrum tend to be so concrete and literal that conveying the abstract concept about the power of thoughts to create and shape your experience of reality provides the key to a tool that can put you in charge of your feelings and environment, rather than the other way around.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Counseling Explained

Cognitive-behavioral Therapy, or CBT, involves teaching the idea that our thoughts are so powerful, they create our experience of reality. It’s not what happens that makes you feel the way you do, it’s how you think about it and you that makes you feel the way you do. A somewhat slippery but very powerful concept. More on ways to teach this to someone on the spectrum later in this article.

Your brain is making thoughts all the time. Some of them are true, some thoughts are helpful or reassuring, some thoughts are not true, and may generate anger, sadness, or fear. You are not your thoughts, you are the observer of your thoughts, yes, because you can watch your thoughts and decide which ones to believe, which thoughts to act upon, and which ones to reject and replace. There are categories of thinking errors which can be taught and learned. These categories enable the user to more quickly and often identify patterns of thought which are faulty and cause distress. The user, or counselee, can learn to step outside of themselves, to think about what they are thinking about, and use self-talk or inner language, providing a tool to mediate emotional and behavioral thoughts. This creates an ability to problem-solve more flexibly, and inhibit unwanted thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We are talking about metacognition and inhibition here, for those of you who are executive skills fans.

How to Explain and Teach CBT to someone on the Autism Spectrum

Obviously, this is only going to work with someone who is verbal, and best suited for Mild Autism, HFA, Aspergers, or PDD-NOS, and let’s not leave out the newer Social Communication Disorder category. I work mostly with kids and some with adults, and here is how I sell the idea of trying this out. I ask if they agree that their brain is making thoughts all the time. I did once have someone say No, mostly I don’t think at all. Wow. I said that’s terrific, there are lots of people out there working really hard to not think. Anyway, so some of the thoughts are true, and some are not, right? There are categories of thinking errors, thoughts that are not true, or make you feel bad unnecessarily. If you could learn these categories, then you could get better at detecting thoughts that are not true, and replacing them with thoughts that are true or feel better. Then you would be using your smart brain in even smarter ways, so you could be smarter, and get to feel the way you want more often. Would you be okay with being smarter and feeling better?

So far in 30 years nobody has said No, I don’t want to be smarter or feel better. I also like to ask where do their feelings come from. This usually results in some pretty restless pauses. Sometimes they point to their heart, I explain most of the time people think that it’s what happens and what other people do that make you feel the way you do. This means they are giving away their power. They are giving the power away to other people or the environment to decide if they feel okay or not. Do they like the idea of letting their big brother, the teacher they don’t like, or the kids who tease and bully decide how they feel? Do they like being a puppet on someone else’s strings?

So here’s the thing. It’s not what happens that makes you feel the way you do. It’s how you think about it. It could start raining right now, right? I could get really mad about the rain, thinking, this sucks, I’m supposed to go fishing tonight, and this is going to ruin everything. I could be mad for the rest of the day, right? Or, it could start raining, and I could think, oh boy, this is great for my garden, and maybe it will rain enough that the river will flood, so I can go whitewater kayaking, which I love. This is awesome that it’s raining. I hope it keeps raining. I could be really glad about the rain, right?

It’s the same thing happening in either case, the rain. I can be either happy or mad about the rain. So it’s not the rain that makes me feel the way I do, it’s how I think about the rain. How much power do we have over the weather? What other people do? You would like to control them, but you can’t. You do have at least some power and control over your thoughts. You can notice a thought that is untrue or unwanted, and replace it with a thought that is more true or desired. This gives you power over yourself and your feelings. Make sense?

Sometimes I use Superflex to work with kids 6-9 or 10, or Psymon with older kids and adults. Both teach the skill of using inner language to create self-awareness and moderate emotional responses. I also have created my own list of thinking errors, thinking error practice, and a thought record to put the rubber to the road and start applying these skills. You can find them on my resources for free page and in my video courses. You can find a lot more on this site about CBT counseling strategies for autism. And guess what, if it works for someone on the spectrum-ish, it can work for anyone!

Learn more

Metaphors for teaching children about power in feelings, relationships, teasing, and bullying

Teach Emotional Control and the Power of Thought

Free Mindgarden mini-course with video and explanation of using CBT strategies to empower kids who struggle

Find a therapist who can help deliver CBT counseling strategies for autism.