Cognitive therapy: a well-thought-out strategy

Designing strategies for nursing care is a complex process. Carefully evaluating the nature of the client's problem is a beginning step in the eventual design of a strategy. In this case a careful review of the problem of depression led to the discovery of faulty reasoning mechanisms used by clients who experience depressive episodes. Once the theoretical roots of the problem become clear, the design of the strategy is a natural progression. The success or failure of a strategy is measured by research. The author uses selective examples to describe how various aspects of cognitive therapy can be incorporated into the client's plan of care.