PSYC108 Assessment 2 – Personal Essay
In this essay, I will explore the most relevant therapy model and micro-skill that I wish for
my psychologist to incorporate within our sessions to ensure the most beneficial outcomes for
positively impacting my overall well-being. My current personal issue of being unable to
organise, prioritise and maintain my university study time would benefit from the
psychologist using approaches associated with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as well
as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy collaborated with the micro-skill of listening with
interest. These are my most preferred therapy models and micro-skill to guarantee a
constructive outcome for my personal issue.
Having the lack of skill to remain motivated and committed to a study schedule, results in my
assessments being completed at the eleventh hour, and inevitably lacking concise detail and
high value. This, in succession, manufactures an idea in my head that I am unable to
complete tasks to a notably high standard. Not only does this issue have a significantly
negative effect on my academic performance and potentially jeopardises my prospect of
completing my university degree, it further diminishes my mental well-being as I am
perpetually exercising self-doubt. This negative effect on my mental health and self-
discipline can increase the prevalence of feelings of anxiety. “Anxiety disorders are
characterized by excessive fear and subsequent avoidance” (Otte, 2011). If the predicament
of me being unable to complete university assignments to that of quality, along with feelings
of failure and panic, whenever I am required to complete an assignment for my degree, I will
associate university duties with anxiety and feelings of fear, even when the task is actually
fairly simple.
According to Brian Sheldon, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a psychological
approach in counselling that “seeks to help clients to analyse and ‘reality test’ existing
patterns of thinking, emotional reactions and behaviour identified via an assessment of
current difficulties, and to try out new approaches.” (Sheldon, 2011) In other words, the
psychologist works with the conscious thoughts, feelings and behaviours of the client to
activate their contribution to control their own issues themselves, while guiding the client
with several alternative perspectives on how to overcome their issues. Thought disorder is
depicted as a “loosening of associations” (Moskowitz, 2011) and it refers to disorganised and
unmethodical thoughts. Thought disorder “includes a variety of cognitive and linguistic
difficulties, such as tangentially, illogicality, thought block, concrete thinking and pressurised
communication.” (Shryane et al., 2019) My inability to focus and complete tasks to a high
standard is a minor example of thought disorder to which, in succession, links with feelings
of anxiety and low confidence in personal abilities in any aspect of my life. In addition,
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy aims to pick up on the negative patterns of clients’ thinking
and alters them in positive ways to better improve their personal issues. This aspect of CBT
as a therapy model in particular will help me with my personal issue as it will identify the
In this essay, I will explore the most relevant therapy model and micro-skill that I wish for
my psychologist to incorporate within our sessions to ensure the most beneficial outcomes for
positively impacting my overall well-being. My current personal issue of being unable to
organise, prioritise and maintain my university study time would benefit from the
psychologist using approaches associated with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as well
as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy collaborated with the micro-skill of listening with
interest. These are my most preferred therapy models and micro-skill to guarantee a
constructive outcome for my personal issue.
Having the lack of skill to remain motivated and committed to a study schedule, results in my
assessments being completed at the eleventh hour, and inevitably lacking concise detail and
high value. This, in succession, manufactures an idea in my head that I am unable to
complete tasks to a notably high standard. Not only does this issue have a significantly
negative effect on my academic performance and potentially jeopardises my prospect of
completing my university degree, it further diminishes my mental well-being as I am
perpetually exercising self-doubt. This negative effect on my mental health and self-
discipline can increase the prevalence of feelings of anxiety. “Anxiety disorders are
characterized by excessive fear and subsequent avoidance” (Otte, 2011). If the predicament
of me being unable to complete university assignments to that of quality, along with feelings
of failure and panic, whenever I am required to complete an assignment for my degree, I will
associate university duties with anxiety and feelings of fear, even when the task is actually
fairly simple.
According to Brian Sheldon, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a psychological
approach in counselling that “seeks to help clients to analyse and ‘reality test’ existing
patterns of thinking, emotional reactions and behaviour identified via an assessment of
current difficulties, and to try out new approaches.” (Sheldon, 2011) In other words, the
psychologist works with the conscious thoughts, feelings and behaviours of the client to
activate their contribution to control their own issues themselves, while guiding the client
with several alternative perspectives on how to overcome their issues. Thought disorder is
depicted as a “loosening of associations” (Moskowitz, 2011) and it refers to disorganised and
unmethodical thoughts. Thought disorder “includes a variety of cognitive and linguistic
difficulties, such as tangentially, illogicality, thought block, concrete thinking and pressurised
communication.” (Shryane et al., 2019) My inability to focus and complete tasks to a high
standard is a minor example of thought disorder to which, in succession, links with feelings
of anxiety and low confidence in personal abilities in any aspect of my life. In addition,
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy aims to pick up on the negative patterns of clients’ thinking
and alters them in positive ways to better improve their personal issues. This aspect of CBT
as a therapy model in particular will help me with my personal issue as it will identify the
