AQA · A-Level · Psychology

    Course version: 7182-2025 · Exams from 2027

    Cognitive behaviour therapy and family therapy as used in the treatment of…

    Full specification wording

    Schizophrenia: Cognitive behaviour therapy and family therapy as used in the treatment of schizophrenia.

    Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for schizophrenia involves 5 to 20 sessions aiming to identify and alter irrational thoughts, such as delusions, by evaluating evidence for these beliefs.

    Checked against the AQA 7182-2025 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 5 of 6
    • 4 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for schizophrenia involves 5 to 20 sessions aiming to identify and alter irrational thoughts, such as delusions, by evaluating evidence for these beliefs. For example, a patient might test the reality of auditory hallucinations through collaborative empiricism and normalisation. Family therapy focuses on reducing stress within the home environment, specifically targeting high expressed emotion (EE) like hostility, criticism, and emotional over-involvement. By improving family communication and problem-solving skills, it lowers relapse rates. Neither therapy cures schizophrenia, but both equip patients and families with coping mechanisms to manage symptoms, reduce distress, and improve daily functioning.

    What earns the marks

    • CBT helps patients identify irrational thoughts and reality-test their hallucinations or delusions.
    • CBT uses techniques like normalisation to reduce anxiety associated with psychotic symptoms.
    • Family therapy aims to reduce levels of expressed emotion (EE), specifically criticism, hostility, and emotional over-involvement.
    • Family therapy improves communication and problem-solving skills within the family unit to prevent relapse.
    • Evaluation points often focus on the appropriateness of psychological therapies, noting they require active engagement which may be difficult for severely ill patients.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Claiming that CBT cures schizophrenia.

      Put it right: State that CBT helps manage symptoms and reduces distress, but does not cure the underlying condition.

    • Confusing family therapy with general counselling.

      Put it right: Specify that family therapy actively targets expressed emotion (EE) and provides psychoeducation to relatives.

    • Stating that psychological therapies work immediately while contrasting them with medication.

      Put it right: Explain that both CBT and family therapy require time, commitment, and multiple sessions to show efficacy.

    Exam tips

    • Use specific terminology like 'expressed emotion' and 'normalisation' when describing how these therapies work.
    • When evaluating, contrast the active patient engagement required for CBT with the passive nature of taking antipsychotic medication.
    • Reference specific evidence to support your evaluation of their effectiveness, ensuring you distinguish between symptom reduction and relapse prevention.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the Schizophrenia: Cognitive behaviour therapy and family therapy as used in the treatment of schizophrenia. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    What is the primary aim of family therapy when used in the treatment of schizophrenia?

    Listen

    Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for schizophrenia involves 5 to 20 sessions aiming to identify and alter irrational thoughts, such as delusions, by evaluating evidence for these beliefs. For example, a patient might test the reality of auditory hallucinations through collaborative empiricism and normalisation. Family therapy focuses on reducing stress within the home environment, specifically targeting high expressed emotion (EE) like hostility, criticism, and emotional over-involvement. By improving family communication and problem-solving skills, it lowers relapse rates. Neither therapy cures schizophrenia, but both equip patients and families with coping mechanisms to manage symptoms, reduce distress, and improve daily functioning. A strong answer earns marks for these points. CBT helps patients identify irrational thoughts and reality-test their hallucinations or delusions. CBT uses techniques like normalisation to reduce anxiety associated with psychotic symptoms. Family therapy aims to reduce levels of expressed emotion (EE), specifically criticism, hostility, and emotional over-involvement. Family therapy improves communication and problem-solving skills within the family unit to prevent relapse. A common slip: Claiming that CBT cures schizophrenia. Instead, State that CBT helps manage symptoms and reduces distress, but does not cure the underlying condition. Exam tip: Use specific terminology like 'expressed emotion' and 'normalisation' when describing how these therapies work.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart with two branches. The first branch starts at a node labelled CBT for schizophrenia, which leads to 5 to 20 sessions, then to identify and alter irrational thoughts such as delusions, then to evaluate evidence for beliefs, then to reality-test auditory hallucinations, and finally to collaborative empiricism and normalisation. The second branch starts at a node labelled Family therapy, which leads to reduce stress in the home environment, then to target high expressed emotion: hostility, criticism, emotional over-involvement, then to improve family communication and problem-solving skills, and finally to lower relapse rates.
    It shows the steps of CBT for schizophrenia and how family therapy targets expressed emotion to lower relapse rates.

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    Cognitive behaviour therapy

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    Expressed emotion

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Normalisation

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Family therapy

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    See every definition
    Cognitive behaviour therapy
    Involves 5 to 20 sessions aiming to identify and alter irrational thoughts, such as delusions, by evaluating evidence for these beliefs.
    Expressed emotion
    High levels include hostility, criticism and emotional over-involvement, which family therapy specifically targets to reduce stress within the home environment.
    Normalisation
    A technique used to reduce anxiety associated with psychotic symptoms, alongside collaborative empiricism, in testing the reality of auditory hallucinations.
    Family therapy
    Focuses on reducing stress within the home environment and, by improving family communication and problem-solving skills, lowers relapse rates.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart with two branches. The first branch starts at a node labelled CBT for schizophrenia, which leads to 5 to 20 sessions, then to identify and alter irrational thoughts such as delusions, then to evaluate evidence for beliefs, then to reality-test auditory hallucinations, and finally to collaborative empiricism and normalisation. The second branch starts at a node labelled Family therapy, which leads to reduce stress in the home environment, then to target high expressed emotion: hostility, criticism, emotional over-involvement, then to improve family communication and problem-solving skills, and finally to lower relapse rates.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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