Which techniques are considered components of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?

• A. Positive reframing, decatastrophizing, assertiveness training
• B. Dream analysis, free association, transference
• C. Hypnosis, age regression, trance states
• D. Medication management only

Answer: (A)

Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on how thoughts influence emotions and behaviors and uses structured, skill-based techniques to change those patterns. The techniques listed—positive reframing and decatastrophizing—target how a person thinks about events, helping reduce distortion and distress. Assertiveness training then translates those changes into improved behavior and communication, which is a core behavioral component of CBT. Together, cognitive restructuring and behavioral skills training exemplify CBT’s approach of modifying both thoughts and actions to improve functioning.

Other options pull from different therapeutic traditions. Dream analysis, free association, and transference are classic psychodynamic techniques that explore unconscious processes and past experiences rather than the here-and-now thoughts and behaviors CBT emphasizes. Hypnosis, age regression, and trance states are not standard CBT components. Medication management alone represents pharmacotherapy, not a psychotherapy like CBT.