Triple column technique is an intervention associated with which therapy?

• A. Cognitive Theory
• B. DBT
• C. Solution Focused Therapy
• D. Psychoanalysis

Answer: (A)

The triple column technique is a cognitive-behavioral tool that helps people examine and challenge automatic thoughts by making them explicit and testable. In cognitive therapy, distress often comes from how we interpret events, not the events themselves. With this technique you lay out three things: the triggering situation, the automatic thought that came up, and the evidence for or against that thought (or an alternative balanced thought). This structure helps reveal cognitive distortions, lets the person test thoughts against reality, and leads to a more realistic interpretation and a practical plan of action. It’s a hallmark of cognitive therapy, whereas other approaches use different methods (for example, DBT emphasizes skills training and emotion regulation, solution-focused emphasizes future-oriented questions and exceptions, and psychoanalysis centers on unconscious processes).