Which CBT technique helps anxious clients by setting up experiments to challenge the belief that others are focused on them?

• A. Modeling
• B. Psychoeducation
• C. Decentering
• D. Redefining

Answer: (C)

Decentering is the CBT skill that helps you step back from your own anxious thoughts and view situations from an outside perspective. When someone believes that others are constantly focused on them, decentering encourages considering alternative explanations and testing those ideas against real-world evidence. In practice, you set up small experiments to see what actually happens, rather than assuming others are judging you. For example, you might initiate a brief conversation or ask a neutral question in a group and then observe how people respond. Often the reaction is normal or neutral, which challenges the belief that everyone is scrutinizing you. Repeatedly testing these interpretations reduces self-focused attention and the emotional pull of the anxious thoughts.

Other approaches at times provide useful support, but they don’t center on retreating from the thought and testing it through direct experience in the same way. Modeling shows how to behave by imitation, psychoeducation teaches information about anxiety, and redefining reframes the issue without the same emphasis on experiential testing.