Cognitive behavioural therapy

How it is used

Usually called CBT in speech and writing. It is one of the most widely researched therapies and appears in many clinical guidelines for anxiety and depression. Typical tools include thought records, behavioural experiments and homework.

Example sentences

1. She was offered twelve sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy for panic disorder.

2. In cognitive behavioural therapy, homework between sessions is an essential part of treatment.

Common collocations

• CBT therapist
• a course of CBT
• trauma-focused CBT
• deliver CBT
• CBT techniques

Related terms

• psychotherapyTreatment of psychological problems through a structured, confidential relationship with a trained professional, mainly using conversation rather than medication.
• exposure therapyA behavioural treatment in which a person faces feared situations, objects, memories or sensations gradually and safely, so that fear decreases and avoidance stops.
• schemaA mental framework built from past experience that organises knowledge about something and guides how new information is noticed, interpreted and remembered.
• depressionA mental health condition marked by persistent low mood or loss of interest and pleasure, often with changes in sleep, appetite, energy and concentration.
• anxietyA feeling of worry, tension or fear about something that might happen, often with physical signs such as a fast heartbeat; when intense and lasting, it can be part of a disorder.

More terms: Therapy and Counselling

• client
• session
• counselling
• clinical psychologist
• confidentiality
• refer
• therapeutic alliance
• psychodynamic therapy
• mindfulness
• psychoeducation