Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a common type of talk therapy (psychotherapy). You work with a mental health counselor (psychotherapist or therapist) in a structured way, attending a limited number of sessions. CBT helps you become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking so you can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way. CBT can be a very helpful tool ― either alone or in combination with other therapies ― in treating mental health disorders, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or an eating disorder. But not everyone who benefits from CBT has a mental health condition. CBT can be an effective tool to help anyone learn how to better manage stressful life situations.

Why it's done

Cognitive behavioral therapy is used to treat a wide range of issues. It's often the preferred type of psychotherapy because it can quickly help you identify and cope with specific challenges. It generally requires fewer sessions than other types of therapy and is done in a structured way.

CBT is a useful tool to address emotional challenges. For example, it may help you:

• Manage symptoms of mental illness
• Prevent a relapse of mental illness symptoms
• Treat a mental illness when medications aren't a good option
• Learn techniques for coping with stressful life situations
• Identify ways to manage emotions
• Resolve relationship conflicts and learn better ways to communicate
• Cope with grief or loss
• Overcome emotional trauma related to abuse or violence
• Cope with a medical illness
• Manage chronic physical symptoms

Mental health disorders that may improve with CBT include:

• Depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Phobias
• PTSD
• Sleep disorders
• Eating disorders
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Substance use disorders
• Bipolar disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Sexual disorders