Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a therapy technique that can help people find new ways to behave by changing their thought patterns.

Engaging with CBT can help people reduce stress, cope with complicated relationships, deal with grief, and face many other common life challenges.

CBT works on the basis that the way we think and interpret life’s events affects how we behave and, ultimately, how we feel.

Studies have shown that it is useful in many situations. More specifically, CBT is a problem-specific, goal-oriented approach that needs the individual’s active involvement to succeed. It focuses on their present-day challenges, thoughts, and behaviors.

CBT is a collaborative therapy, requiring the individual and counselor to work together. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the person eventually learns to become their own therapist.

CBT is based on a number of beliefs - unhelpful ways that people think can lead to psychological problems. If people learn unhelpful behavior, this, too, can lead to psychological issues. People can learn more beneficial ways of thinking and behaving. New habits can relieve symptoms of mental and physical conditions and allow people to act in better ways.

Practitioners based CBT on the theory that problems arise from the meanings people give to events, as well as the events themselves. Unhelpful thoughts can make it difficult for a person to function confidently in different situations.

CBT can have a positive impact on how people feel and act and equip them with coping strategies that help them deal with challenges. You can try it here.