Evidence-based treatment and cognitive-affective-relational-behavior-therapy.

In conceptualizing CBT as an approach to treatment that is closely linked to basic empirical principles of human behavior, it is possible to incorporate evidence-based contributions from different theoretical orientations. This is illustrated by how CBT can be open to a variety of interventions that are not typically associated with CBT, but which nonetheless have empirical support. This article describes the following clinical interventions, together with their theoretical rationale and empirical support: (a) Having a therapeutic focus on what is occurring within the session itself, (b) Becoming aware of one's negative reactions toward the patient and transforming them into a more compassionate stance, and (c) Using procedures for enhancing emotional arousal in changing a patient's cognitive-affective distortions.