Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

What is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)?

"Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy (talking therapy) based on the idea that how you think and act affects how you feel. It can help in many different situations — with both mental and physical health problems.

How does CBT work?

If you are thinking negatively about yourself or a situation and that is causing you problems, CBT might be able to help. In CBT, you work with a therapist to recognise the patterns of thinking (cognition) and behaviour that cause you problems. Then CBT teaches you practical ways to learn or re-learn more helpful and healthy habits. Basically, the aim is to challenge and break the habit of negative thinking. Negative and unhelpful thinking can show itself in different ways. Some examples are catastrophising, where you always assume the worst possible outcome, and personalisation, where you take everything personally.

CBT is a practical therapy — it focusses on goals and is specific to an individual. It doesn’t look back over your past, it centres on solving current problems.

CBT has been around for many years. It’s the basis of other therapies such as acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, schema therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)." 

Australian Association for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (What is CBT?), Beyond Blue (Psychological treatments for anxiety), This Way Up (What is cognitive behaviour therapy?), ReachOut (Cognitive behavioural therapy), StatPearls (Cognitive Behavior Therapy), National Prescribing Service (Australian Prescriber) (Cognitive behaviour therapy in medical practice), NHS (How it works – Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT)), SANE Australia (Psychotherapy)