Cognitive Reframe

SKILL.md

---
name: cognitive-reframe
description: Helps users identify negative thinking patterns and try seeing situations from a more balanced perspective. A CBT-based thought exercise tool for daily self-regulation. Designed for moments of anxiety, frustration, or excessive worry.
---

# Cognitive Reframe

A tool that helps users recognize common negative thinking patterns and shift toward a more balanced, rational perspective. Based on principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for daily self-regulation.

> **Core idea**: The same event, interpreted differently, produces different emotions and actions.

## Core Features

This skill provides:
- **Thought Recognition**: Help users notice how they are thinking
- **Pattern Analysis**: Point out common cognitive distortion types
- **Reframe Guidance**: Guide users toward a more balanced alternative perspective
- **Safety Boundaries**: Detect high-risk content, guide toward professional help

## When to Use

Typical triggers:
- "I feel terrible"
- "Things will never get better"
- "I can't do anything right"
- "Everyone must think I'm terrible"
- "What if I mess up?"
- "I'm such a failure"
- "I keep thinking the worst"
- "Help me see it differently"
- "cognitive-reframe"

## When NOT to Use

This skill is **NOT suitable for**:
- Psychiatric diagnosis
- Trauma treatment
- Replacement for psychotherapy or psychiatric treatment
- Crisis intervention (if self-harm/suicidal thoughts are present)

### 🚨 High-Risk Signals

If any of the following are present, **skip this skill** and immediately guide the user to professional help:
- Self-harm or suicidal thoughts mentioned
- Severe depression lasting more than two weeks
- PTSD reactions
- Severe anxiety affecting daily functioning
- Eating disorder related concerns

**High-risk guidance**: Warmly but clearly suggest the user contact a professional organization; provide a mental health crisis hotline.

## Common Thinking Patterns (Cognitive Distortions)

This tool helps users recognize these common patterns:

| Pattern | Characteristic | Example |
|---------|---------------|---------|
| All-or-Nothing | Extreme judgments, no middle ground | "I completely failed" |
| Mental Filter | Focusing only on negatives, ignoring positives | "This meeting went badly, I'm done" |
| Catastrophizing | Exaggerating negative consequences | "If I fail, it's all over" |
| Mind Reading | Assuming you know what others think | "They must think I'm stupid" |
| Emotional Reasoning | Treating feelings as facts | "I feel worthless, so I must be" |
| Should Statements | Setting rigid "should" rules for self or others | "I should always be productive" |
| Labeling | Applying negative labels to yourself | "I'm a total loser" |
| Disqualifying the Positive | Dismissing positive experiences | "That was just luck" |

## Output Structure

### Basic Flow

1. **Listen & Acknowledge**: Understand the user's specific situation
2. **Thought Identification**: Help the user articulate the thought in their head
3. **Pattern Recognition**: Identify which thinking pattern it represents
4. **Reframe Guidance**: Guide the user to consider an alternative explanation
5. **Action Tip**: Provide one small actionable step to try

### Example Output

**Scenario**: User says "There's no way I'll pass this interview, I'm terrible"

> **It sounds like you're really worried about this interview. Can you tell me more about what's making you feel that way?**
>
> (User explains)
>
> **I hear a voice in your head saying "I'm terrible." This sounds like "labeling" or "all-or-nothing" thinking — equating one interview outcome with your entire worth.**
>
> **Let's look at it from another angle:**
> - **Facts**: You got the interview, which means your resume and abilities were recognized
> - **Alternative thought**: Even if this one doesn't work out, the interview itself is valuable experience
> - **Ask yourself**: Would you judge a friend this harshly if they said the same thing?
>
> **One small try**: Before tomorrow's interview, write down 3 things you've done well recently.
>
> ---
>
> 💡 **Reminder**: This is a self-help exercise. If negative thinking continues to trouble you and affects your daily life, consider speaking with a professional counselor.

### Crisis Response Example

**Scenario**: User says "Life is exhausting, I might as well be dead"

> **Thank you for sharing this with me. When I hear you say that, I genuinely care.**
>
> **I want to tell you sincerely: what you're feeling matters, and help is available to you.**
>
> **I recommend you do one of these right now:**
> - Contact a mental health crisis hotline (Beijing 24hr: 010-8295 1332)
> - Or talk to someone you trust about how you're feeling
> - If there is immediate danger, please call emergency services directly
>
> **You don't have to face this alone.** This is not your fault, and it is not weakness. Reaching out for help is a brave thing to do.

## Reframing Techniques

### 1. Evidence Method
- What evidence supports this thought?
- What evidence contradicts it?

### 2. Alternative Explanations
- Are there other possible explanations?
- Will the worst case actually happen?

### 3. Decatastrophizing
- What is the worst outcome? What happens if it occurs?
- Even if it happens, is it really that terrible?

### 4. Self-Talk
- If a friend said this, how would I respond?
- Would I say the same thing to a friend?

### 5. Action Test
- Instead of spiraling, could I just try one small thing?

## Safety Boundary Statement

> ⚠️ **Important Notice**:
>
> This skill is a **daily self-regulation tool**, based on CBT principles, **and does not constitute professional mental health treatment or medical advice**.
>
> This tool:
> - ❌ Does not diagnose mental health conditions
> - ❌ Does not treat mental illness
> - ❌ Does not replace professional counseling or psychiatric treatment
> - ✅ Used for daily self-awareness of thinking patterns
> - ✅ Helps build more balanced thinking habits
> - ✅ Identifies when professional help is needed and provides guidance
>
> **If you or someone you know is experiencing**:
> - Persistent depression, anxiety, or other psychological distress
> - Self-harm or suicidal thoughts
> - PTSD reactions
> - Other conditions seriously affecting daily functioning
>
> **Please seek professional help**:
> - Crisis hotline: National Mental Health Hotline 400-161-9995
> - Psychiatric consultation
> - Professional counselor
>
> **In case of immediate danger, please call 120/110.**

## Usage Limitations

- This tool does not store personal user content
- Does not provide ongoing emotional support
- Does not track user emotional changes
- Each session is independent

## Minimum Viable Flow

1. Confirm the specific thought/situation the user wants to work through
2. Help the user articulate the thought in their mind
3. Identify the likely thinking pattern
4. Provide 1-2 reframe perspectives
5. Include safety boundary notice