What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment that has been demonstrated to be effective for a range of problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, and severe mental illness.

A woman in a blue sweater is sitting on a beige couch, touching her chest with both hands while speaking. She is in a therapy session with a counselor who is taking notes on a clipboard, seated in a gray chair. The room features wooden shelves with plants, books, and framed certificates on the wall.

CBT is based on several core principles, including:

Psychological issues are partly based on problematic or unhelpful patterns of thinking.

  • Psychological issues are partly based on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior.

  • Psychological issues are partly based on problematic core beliefs, including central ideas about yourself and the world.

  • People experiencing psychological issues can learn better ways of coping with them. This can help relieve their symptoms and improve their mental and emotional health.

A woman is lying on her side on a bed, smiling and talking on her phone, while a man is sitting on the floor nearby, turned away with his head in his hand.

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) used for?

CBT uses practical self-help strategies. These are designed to immediately  improve your quality of life.

  • Anxiety disorders are a group of mental health conditions that cause fear, dread and other symptoms that are out of proportion to the situation.

  • Depression is a common mental health condition that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and changes in how you think, sleep, eat and act.

  • Fear is a natural human emotion, and it is something that everyone experiences in their lifetime. What matters most is how you fight your fears, and whether you let them affect your life.

  • Hypochondria, now more commonly known as illness anxiety disorder, is a mental health condition characterized by excessive worry about having a serious illness despite little or no evidence to support the belief.

  • Insomnia is a symptom, not a disease. It means being concerned with how much you sleep or how well you sleep.

  • Has discussions with themselves (this is called ‘self talk’) that are always negative, critical and self blaming

  • Breaking up is a tough time. It can be better or worse depending on how you deal with it. Here is some information to help you recognise how you’re feeling, and why.

  • Substance use disorder (SUD) is a problematic pattern of substance use that affects your health and well-being.

A girl with long brown hair covering her face with her hands, sitting against a gray background with messy, scribbled black lines, question marks, arrows, and lightbulb drawings indicating confusion or overwhelmed thoughts.

CBT therapists emphasize what is going on in the person’s current life, rather than what has led up to their difficulties.