Rethinking therapist drift: incompetence or ingenuity?

Therapist drift is said to occur when CBT Therapists engage in behaviours which stray from the core aims of the approach. Previously, drift has only been considered as problematic and in some cases, it will be yet there might be some instances where drift is necessary or indeed beneficial. In a straw poll that I carried out on this issue via social media 94 out of 109 respondents (86%) endorsed the statement ‘I blend techniques from EMDR / CFT / ACT into CBT treatment’. Given that so many CBT Therapists appear to be drifting, it would be timely to consider if this leads to therapy-improving rather than therapy interfering behaviours. In order for CBT not to fall victim to ‘black and white thinking’, further research is required to determine what is harmful versus necessary and helpful drift.