Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an empirically supported psychotherapy shown to be effective and durable for the treatment of a variety of psychiatric illnesses. It is problem focused and conceptually driven. Cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, exposure, and developing good action plans for out-of-session practice are tools that benefit patients for a lifetime. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the literature that supports the use of CBT, introduce the key elements of the therapeutic approach, and illustrate them with case examples. The structure of the session and the CBT approach to the therapeutic alliance are highlighted in the text. This review contains 23 tables, and 59 references. Key words: Cognitive-behavioral therapy, cognitive restructuring, collaboration, behavioral activation, exposure