Preview of "Barbed Wire Thinking" WORKBOOK : simplebooklet.com

Working with cognitive distortions or thinking errors is acommon intervention in Cognitive Behavior Therapy.Application across a diverse range of populationsillustrates the efficacy of making these concepts asrelevant, meaningful, and culturally responsive as possible . This workbook has been specifically designed with theagricultural community in mind by incorporating day-to-day imagery as a way to explore thinking errors. As acomponent of The LandLogic Model℠, we considerthis a work in progress that will continue to evolve withapplication and research.Additionally, it is not meant to be prescriptive as werecognize many providers have developed their ownapproach to helping clients with cognitive distortions. It is your experience, creativity, and relationshipwith clients that will give life and meaning to theseconcepts. We hope the following examples of Barbed WireThinking and the accompanying illustrations becomevaluable additions to your clinical approach. Finally, we thank you for your efforts to support ouragricultural producers, workers, and families. Cordially, Chad Reznicek, LPC and Kaila S. Anderson, LMSWBARBED WIRE THINKINGWORKBOOK DESCRIPTION01B A R B E D W I R E T H I N K I N G2 , 5

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Created ByKAILA ANDERSON, LMSWTHE LANDLOGIC MODEL℠ FOUNDERKaila is a licensed social worker committed todeveloping and researching clinical interventions for theagricultural population. Prior to creating The LandLogicModel℠, Kaila spent ten years living and working in thefrontier counties of western Kansas. Her passion for thisarea of research is motivated by her family’s experiencethrough the 1980s farm crisis on their 5th generationoperation. She earned a Master of Social Work from TheUniversity of Kansas. K A N D E R S O N L M S W @ G M A I L . C O MCHAD REZNICEK, LPCBEHAVIORAL HEALTH STATE SPECIALISTChad Reznicek is a Behavioral Health State Specialistwith the Colorado AgrAbility Project and committed tohelping expand and improve behavioral health supportand resources in rural communities. Prior to joining theAgrAbility Team, Chad spent 20 years as a licensedtherapist, providing behavioral health services in diversesettings with special focus areas in suicide prevention,trauma, mood disorders, adolescent issues, andsubstance abuse. Chad grew up in a small town incentral Nebraska with a deep respect for agriculture asthe heart of our rural communities.C H A D . R E Z N I C E K @ C O L O S T A T E . E D UCopyright © 2025 by The LandLogic Model℠. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed,or transmitted in any manner without written permission of the creators.Illustrations by Andrea Rochat, MFARochat Creative, LLC02 B A R B E D W I R E T H I N K I N G

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ContentsINTRODUCTIONWhat is Barbed Wire Thinking? A Brief Overview of Cognitive DistortionsBARBED WIRE THINKINGDescriptions and Examples of Barbed WireThinkingFURTHERING THE CONVERSATIONBarbed Wire Thinking Illustrations and Their Rolein Learning How to Think About Our Thinking REFERENCESA List of In-Text Citations for FurtherExploration0103040502THE LANDLOGIC MODEL℠ What is the LandLogic Model℠ and What Makesit Unique?

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04 B A R B E D W I R E T H I N K I N Gof 144 health care professionals who participated in The LandLogic Model℠ 3.0-hour training said theywould be able to apply the content to their practice.The LandLogic Model℠ is the idea ofpurposefully incorporating a farmer’sland - the quintessential resource for afarmer - into behavioral healthinterventions. Positive feedback fromfarmers, behavioral health, and medicalproviders continue to highlight thisimportant aspect. The LandLogicModel℠ has then taken provenCognitive Behavior Therapy skills andincorporated land-based interventionsin hopes of promoting positivebehavioral health outcomes for ourfarmers and their families. Visitwww.thelandlogicmodel.com for moreinformation. WHAT IS THELANDLOGIC MODEL℠?WHAT MAKES THELANDLOGIC MODEL℠UNIQUE?The LandLogic Model ℠ anchors onthe following to build rapport and trustwith members of the agriculturalpopulation:The psychological aspect of theagrarian imperative.The land as a protective factor.Optimizes the five senses of afarmer.Additionally, the full 3.0 hour trainingincorporates real stories and providesadditional materials for clinical use. Research evaluation summary completed by Dr. Michelle Grocke, Montanta State University Extension"I wholeheartedly endorse The LandLogic Model℠as a unique and powerful counseling tool forprofessionals working with agricultural producers.This therapeutic approach stands out by leveragingthe profound connection that producers have withthe land, using imagery and symbolism as agateway for healing and growth."Tara Haskins, DNP, RN, AHN-BC, Total Farmer Health Director, AgriSafe01The LandLogic Model℠9 7 %

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Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapy model proven effectiveamong various populations . A key aspect of this model is the notion of interruptingthe negative feedback loop created when individuals experience unrealistic orunhelpful thoughts that lead to maladaptive reactions or behaviors . Success often depends on ensuring that one can identify and impact the factors thathe or she does have control over. For example, maintaining the health and viabilityof crops and herds often entails scanning for outliers - those pockets of disease or illhealth - that, if left untreated, run the risk of contaminating the whole. Maintainingthe wellbeing and viability of our own behavioral health also entails the ability toscan for outliers in our thinking patterns and address them effectively. Our brains are amazing organs capable of assessing, evaluating, and findingpatterns from an almost infinite amount of information observed in our internal andexternal worlds. Our ability to find patterns, understand cause and effect, and adaptto new information is a survival function that is wired into our day-to-day lives.Enough so that we do not often realize we are doing it. The brain seeks to findpatterns and takes comfort in being able to predict cause and effect. Our brains donot do well with chaos, randomness, and events that we cannot explain. The brain’s drive to make connections and meaning is so great that it willlikely err on the side of making an inaccurate explanation before it willaccept that no explanation can be found. As such, the brain can sometimes make connections, not based on facts or data, buton mood, energy level, mistaken beliefs, and patterns that do not objectively exist. When these mistaken connections become repeated and become a rule,they can create thinking errors, cognitive distortions, or Barbed WireThinking. INTRODUCTION TOBARBED WIRE THINKING0241

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Left unchecked, these thinking errors can negatively impact our self-worth, damage ourrelationships, decrease motivation, and can be the fuel that drives anxiety, depression, andother health risks. What follows is a list of thinking errors that have been adapted in the hopes of offering anagricultural lens of reference. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list. Dr. Aaron Beck, thefounder of cognitive behavioral therapy, originally cited five cognitive distortions and addedtwo more later in his career . Other cognitive distortions have also been added through theyears. We chose to focus on ten common thinking errors found within the agricultural communitybased on direct feedback from farmers, ranchers, and their families, consultation with otherbehavioral health providers, literature and media reviews, and our own clinical practiceexperiences. Learning how to think about our thinking is as crucial as scanning crops and herdsfor health outliers. Barbed Wire Thinking errors have the potential to snag us, keep us stuck, andcompartmentalized. However, when we learn to identify Barbed Wire Thinking patterns inaction, we can pump the brakes and challenge them with facts and objectivity. Introduction toBarbed Wire Thinking06 B A R B E D W I R E T H I N K I N G1

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EXAMPLES“After being in our family for four generations, I amthe one that is going to lose the land to the bank.”"This is going to be the worst calving season yet."“Maybe they would be better off without me.”“Every decision I have made this season is terrible.I am a failure at this.”Catastrophizing is characterized by automatically assuming the worst possibleoutcome . A certain ongoing optimism is required in agricultural production toinvest the time, money, and resources into the operation. Dynamics beyond ourcontrol including weather, market prices, disease outbreaks, and equipmentbreakdowns can pose serious risks to the success of our operation and can lead tocatastrophic thinking. The danger of catastrophic thinking is that it can result in asense of “stuck-ness” or hopelessness that prevents us from taking the necessarysteps to solve problems. Paired with a sense of hopelessness, catastrophizing(negative fortune telling) has been documented to be a predictor of suicide attemptstatus . 08 B A R B E D W I R E T H I N K I N G0335

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What follows are ten illustrations of the Barbed Wire Thinking concepts. They areintended to help enhance the process of recognizing and addressing thinking errors. We believe the greater a client's ability to identify with and recognize cognitive distortions intheir own thinking, the greater their engagement and motivation to address them. Therefore,there are no rules on how to use the images. Additionally, the images can have multiple meanings and interpretations based on theexperiences and perspectives of the client. We encourage the same level of diversity andindividualization in exploring their application.Suggestion on Use:The illustrations can be shared before, after, or in conjunction with thethinking error list. Clients could be encouraged to connect single or multiple images to thethinking errors they identify with and explore their reasoning. The illustrations could be used separately as a means of exploringindividualized cognitions and meaning through story telling or promptingquestions such as those listed below.FurtheringThe ConversationREFLECTIVE PROMPTSWhat is happening in this image? What do you think will happen next?Does this image remind you of any relationships or tensionsin your own life? If so, how?Describe how you would resolve the tension in the image.What would the character(s) be doing instead?18 B A R B E D W I R E T H I N K I N G04

Preview of "Barbed Wire Thinking" WORKBOOK

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