A term covering a number of talking therapies that are used to treat anxiety, depression and other psychological problems. It was developed from cognitive therapy and behavioural therapy.
A psychological, talking-based therapy that is in widespread use in the UK and North America for a variety of disorders (e.g. depression, panic and obsessive compulsive disorder). Its origin is credited to Aaron Beck (1960s), who noted his depressed patients’ thinking (i.e. cognitions) was prone to distortion, misinterpretation or error. The assumption of CBT is that how a person perceives events (e.g. thoughts about bodily sensations in the case of panic) is associated with psychological distress and maladaptive behaviour. Thus, CBT assumes a relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviour. CBT models of psychopathology incorporate behavioural principles of learning (e.g. escaping from a feared event in phobia) to explain why the condition might persist.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is an approach used to treat psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. It operates on the premise that problems stem from flawed cognitions, erroneous ways of perceiving oneself and the world. In this therapy, the patient is guided to recognize negative or inaccurate thought patterns and encouraged to adopt new strategies. For instance, keeping a diary of thoughts and emotions can help identify triggers for distress, while teaching techniques for responding differently to distressing thoughts is also a part of the process.