Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is an empirically supported therapy for a variety of concerns, including depression, anxiety, trauma, phobias, panic, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating disorders. It is also effective in improving coping strategies and social skills, as well as to effectively manage stress and anger.
The basic premise of CBT is that many psychological and emotional struggles are the result of unhealthy thinking patterns and maladaptive behaviours. Over time, these thinking patterns become automatic yet still powerful in influencing how you feel. CBT examines these thought processes – bringing them back into conscious awareness – to determine whether they are worthwhile keeping or if they might be changed. By changing how you think (“Cognitive”) and what you do (“Behaviour”), you often change how you feel.