What is CBT

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a widely used, evidence-based type of psychological therapy that helps people manage a range of physical and mental health issues, from anxiety and depression to sleep problems.

While different types of CBT have been designed to target specific challenges, all CBT-based techniques work on the following assumptions:

• Unhelpful thoughts lead to difficult feelings, such as anger, guilt, or sadness
• These feelings, in turn, produce problematic behaviours or responses
• Problematic behaviours reinforce the unhelpful thoughts

The core of CBT involves learning to recognise these unhelpful thinking patterns, known as cognitive distortions, and challenging them. According to the theories underlying CBT, changing the way we think can positively influence how we feel and behave.