Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 101: Thought Stopping and Replacement

Thought stopping and replacement techniques are at the heart of CBT. They focus on identifying a thought that is distressful and replacing it with a calming thought. This is a tutorial to show how I teach children how to stop intrusive thoughts.
They will begin with picturing a stop sign in their mind. They will then redirect their thoughts to a calming object, such as a teddy bear or bunny. The goal is to stop intrusive, negative thoughts and replace them with calming or positive thoughts.
It is helpful to start teaching with items they can see or touch, then once they understand how to use thought stopping and replacement, they can focus on abstract ideas.