The process starts out with a dysfunctional attitude such as if I ask a question, it makes me look inferior which leads to an experience like I asked a question one time and did not think about what I was saying and got yelled at, which then in turn leads to an automatic thought such as god I can't do anything right and finally it leads to an negative emotion such as embarrassed or sad.
Ellis has come up with a linkage of cognitive and emotional process in his "A-B-C" model, which says that people can change the way they feel by changing the way they think about their experiences. In his model the "A" refers to Activating Experience which is the event or situation that occurs that has bearing to the person's self-concept. The "B" refers to Beliefs and the "C" to Consequences. Following the consequence you may experience some feelings of depression, self-pity, or maybe anxiety all of these feeling that occur come from the irrational beliefs which the behaviors usually follow and in result ending in negative consequences.
Some of the therapist's roles are to help the client recognize their irrational beliefs and teach them to change their way of thinking and get rid of their irrational ideas and explain the cycle they cause. Next the therapist helps them develop a positive attitude gain some self esteem which in the long run should in turn change their outlook on life. The therapist also uses many cognitive, emotive, and behavioral methods to help clients work on their feelings to help act against their instabilities (Corey 303).
The role of the client is to understand that their belief system is wrong and they need to learn to come up with different patterns of thinking. They need to stay in the here and now and apply themselves actively in the cognitive restructuring process. This requires the client to work out side therapy sessions and receive homework that they can use in their everyday life and in problem solving.