Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps clients understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviours.
CBT is commonly used to treat a wide range of disorders, including phobias, addictions, depression, and anxiety.1
CBT is generally short-term and focused on helping clients deal with a very specific problem.
During the course of treatment, people learn how to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on behaviour and emotions.2
WHAT IS CBT?
In a nutshell, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps you learn to change your thoughts, feelings and behaviours so you feel better. By targeting your reactions to situations, CBT can help you react more effectively in challenging situations, and even learn to feel better when you are unable to change situations happening around you.
GOAL-ORIENTED
Unlike a lot of talk therapy, CBT is a problem-solving therapy aimed at helping you achieve your goals. The goals can be anything from getting a job to finding a romantic partner to reducing feelings of anxiety or depression. Once you meet your goal, you and your therapist collaboratively decide whether there is anything remaining to work on, or to end treatment.
PRESENT-FOCUSED
CBT typically focuses on present difficulties and current situations that are distressing. This here-and-now focus allows you to solve current problems more quickly and effectively. Identifying specific challenges and focusing on them in a consistent and structured manner results in achieving greater treatment gains, and achieving them in a shorter period of time than in traditional talk-therapy.
ACTIVE
CBT requires you and your therapist to work as a team, collaborating to solve problems. Rather than waiting for problems to get better after talking about them repeatedly from week to week, you are able to take an active role in your own treatment, using self-help assignments and CBT tools between sessions to speed up the process of change. Each session is focused on identifying ways of thinking differently, and unlearning unwanted reactions.
BRIEF
CBT is a time-limited therapy, meaning once you feel significant symptom relief and have the skills you need for success, treatment can end. This makes CBT significantly shorter in duration than traditional talk-therapy, which can last years. Many people finish CBT after just a few months of treatment. However, not everyone makes significant progress in a short time; some people may need additional therapy to reduce symptoms and create lasting change. Those with serious, chronic psychological problems may need anywhere from six months to several years of treatment. However, even in these cases CBT is generally more effective and of shorter duration than traditional talk therapy.
WELL-RESEARCHED
The most widely researched therapy that exists, over 500 studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of CBT for numerous psychological and medical problems. It is one of the few therapies that is scientifically proven to be effective. For more information on the kinds of problems CBT can be used to treat, explore this site using the navigation bar at the top. Follow this link to a chart comparing the effectiveness of CBT to other treatments.
SUPPORTIVE
Making big changes can be difficult. CBT therapists take this very seriously and are dedicated to helping the client along this process at the client’s own pace, offering CBT tools in an environment of warmth and caring. Relying on the foundation of a supportive relationship, clients feel more comfortable stepping outside of their comfort zone to achieve their goals.