Stories and Analogies in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

“Story telling is one of our most ancient ways of communicating. Paul Blenkiron has vividly described how stories can be used for therapeutic purposes.” (CBT Today, March 2015)

“An excellent, stimulating book. Offers all therapists an invaluable toolkit for many years to come. I recommend savouring every word.” (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2 February 2011)

“This is a real treat and worth an investment – not only for ‘the shelf’, but also for the ‘self’” (British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies, 15 December 2010 )

“What makes this book such a coherent piece of work is its structured presentation of useful content paired with the well-thought-out narrative in which these ideas are communicated.” (Psychologist, 1 October 2010)

“The usefulness of this book to therapeutic practice is vast.” (Therapeutic Recreation, 1 July, 2010)

When I first began to think about writing this book, I doubted whether there would be enough material to fill it. How wrong I was! I soon discovered that the total number of therapeutic stories and analogies is almost without limit.

This book is the first to teach practical CBT – what it is and what it isn’t – using stories, analogies, quotes and anecdotes. It is designed to work on two levels. First, it enables professionals to understand CBT – using everyday metaphors and short case stories of effective and less effective practice (`How not to do CBT’). Second, practitioners can use the examples with their clients and patients – for instance, when tackling negative thinking (`Is my glass half empty or half full?’) or beginning graded exposure for a phobia (`She feared she’d die, but when she tried, her fears they died’). Here are some of the book’s key features:

* Organised – Not just a collection of therapeutic stories and metaphors. Organised chapter by chapter around the common mental disorders (depression, anxiety) and psychological problems (eg avoidance, reassurance seeking) encountered in daily practice

* Easy to access – Readers can search for stories either by topic (eg anger) using the contents or by name (eg The Hare and the Tortoise) using the appendix – which lists over 500 anecdotes and analogies

* Easy to read – Text broken up with frequent use of simple diagrams and tables (40 figures, 27 tables, 62 boxes)

* Easy to understand – blends theory and practice without excessive use of jargon. Conveys important ideas using language that both therapists and clients will understand

* Key learning points – every chapter ends with a summary of the key messages

* Works on two levels – the stories and metaphors will not only help clinicians to understand CBT, but they can adapt and use them with clients

* Practical – contains case vignettes, examples of therapy conversations and common pitfalls (How not to do CBT)

* Flexible – Explains how to personalise stories to `fit’ the individual- and the importance of clients developing their own narrative

* Evidence based – CBT has the greatest evidence base of any modern talking treatment and is recommended in many national guidelines such as UK’s NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). The book is based not only on a systematic literature search but upon the accumulated wisdom of the author and many leading CBT practitioners- distilled into one short volume.

* Up to date – includes the latest developments in CBT practice, such as mindfulness, behavioural activation and other `third generation’ approaches

I hope you enjoy reading (and using) this collection of stories as much as I have had in writing it.