Metacognitive Therapy for Anxiety and Depression

Book excerpt: This groundbreaking book explains the "whats" and "how-tos" of metacognitive therapy (MCT), an innovative form of cognitive-behavioral therapy with a growing empirical evidence base. MCT developer Adrian Wells shows that much psychological distress results from how a person responds to negative thoughts and beliefs?for example, by ruminating or worrying?rather than the content of those thoughts. He presents practical techniques and specific protocols for addressing metacognitive processes to effectively treat generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive?compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and major depression. Special features include reproducible treatment plans and assessment and case formulation tools, plus a wealth of illustrative case material.