On January 29, 2025, Beck Institute conducted a live virtual Q&A with Dr. Judith Beck. Members of the public, including both mental health professionals and non-professionals, submitted over 400 questions. Did you submit a question for Dr. Beck? She will continue to respond to audience questions in our blog, on social media, and in our newsletter, so be sure to check back to see if she answers yours.

If you missed the session, you can still watch the recording at the bottom of this post!

Question: What are your thoughts about a client with a persistent belief that rumination is the way out of solving a situation?

Answer: As with any cognition, I would ask if it’s okay if we examined that idea. If so, I’d gently ask for the evidence the client has that supports this idea and the advantages they see in rumination. They may say:  

  • “It helps me with problem-solving.”  
  • “It gives me a sense of control, that I’m doing something responsible, not just giving up.” 
  • “It means I don’t have to make a difficult decision right away.”  

Next, I’d ask about evidence on the other side, along with the disadvantages. If they have difficulty, I’d normalize the problem and mention what other clients have found and ask whether they have found these things, too—that rumination just postpones acting on a problem, it doesn’t make it go away; that other people get frustrated with the client for avoiding making a decision or solving a problem; that it feels productive to engage in rumination, but it actually doesn’t help solve a problem.  

I would provide psychoeducation about the differences between productive and non-productive thinking or worry. Then I would ask whether the client was willing to do a behavioral experiment to limit rumination time, redirect their attention, and engage in valued action. If they have difficulty doing this, they might benefit from a regular practice of mindfulness, and other techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, integrated into CBT in accordance with a cognitive conceptualization. 

Watch the recording to see Dr. Beck answer more questions: