Date of Award

Spring 6-13-2025

Document Type

Doctoral Research Paper

Degree Name

Psy.D.

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

First Advisor

Laura Meyer

Second Advisor

Ryan C. Rogers

Third Advisor

Vicki Tomlin

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Keywords

Cognitive behavioral therapy, Misdiagnosis, Media literacy, Adolescence, Misinformation

Abstract

This paper examines the role of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in countering misinformation that youth encounter on social media and other informal sources, with the goal of creating a manual for mental health clinicians. The use of CBT by clinicians working with adolescents to combat the issue of misinformation and misdiagnosis has received little attention in the literature. Mental health clinicians’ knowledge of media literacy as a psychological construct can foster an effective treatment style by building upon the foundation of well-established theory and practice, such as CBT. CBT is a multifaceted treatment that can help guide mental health clinicians in helping adolescents to critically assess and reframe inaccurate beliefs, particularly around mental health diagnoses, by teaching them to evaluate sources, question cognitive distortions, and develop stronger media literacy skills. By fostering critical thinking and self-awareness, culturally informed CBT can support adolescents in navigating and combating false information that may otherwise negatively impact their mental health. Ultimately, synthesizing cognitive behavioral therapy with the relevant cultural impacts of media literacy on youth populations is a valuable tool for supporting clinicians who seek guidance in an area that is both inundated with information yet lacking in empirical and formalized approaches.

Copyright Date

4-1-2025

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Patricia Sacchetti

Provenance

Received from author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

42 pgs

File Size

512 KB

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