Why CBT Works
Practical and skills-based: CBT helps people understand how their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are connected, and teaches practical skills to reduce distress and improve daily functioning.
Collaborative and goal-focused: You and your therapist work together to set goals, track progress, and practice skills in real-life situations.
Active approach to change: CBT helps you notice unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns and learn new ways to respond, rather than avoiding or getting stuck in worry.
Works across many difficulties: The same CBT principles can be used for many problems because they target common patterns like negative thinking and avoidance.
What is involved in CBT
Assessment and understanding the problem: Early sessions focus on learning about your experiences and building a shared understanding of what is keeping the difficulties going.
Goal setting: Clear, practical goals are set (for example, reducing anxiety, improving mood, or returning to activities).
Psychoeducation: You learn how thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and physical reactions interact.
Thinking skills:
Noticing unhelpful thoughts
Learning to question and balance them
Developing more helpful ways of thinking
Behavioural strategies:
Gradually facing fears (exposure)
Increasing enjoyable or meaningful activities
Learning coping and problem-solving skills
Between-session practice: CBT works best when the skills learned in sessions are practised between appointments, helping changes become lasting.
Tracking progress: Progress is regularly reviewed so therapy can be adjusted as needed.
Evidence for CBT across common presentations
Major Depressive Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia:
Social Anxiety Disorder:
Specific Phobias:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
Bipolar Disorder:
Eating Disorders:
Insomnia:
Substance Use Disorders:
Children and Adolescents:
Why CBT Works
Practical and skills-based: CBT helps people understand how their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are connected, and teaches practical skills to reduce distress and improve daily functioning.
Collaborative and goal-focused: You and your therapist work together to set goals, track progress, and practice skills in real-life situations.
Active approach to change: CBT helps you notice unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns and learn new ways to respond, rather than avoiding or getting stuck in worry.
Works across many difficulties: The same CBT principles can be used for many problems because they target common patterns like negative thinking and avoidance.
What is involved in CBT
Assessment and understanding the problem: Early sessions focus on learning about your experiences and building a shared understanding of what is keeping the difficulties going.
Goal setting: Clear, practical goals are set (for example, reducing anxiety, improving mood, or returning to activities).
Psychoeducation: You learn how thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and physical reactions interact.
Thinking skills:
Noticing unhelpful thoughts
Learning to question and balance them
Developing more helpful ways of thinking
Behavioural strategies:
Gradually facing fears (exposure)
Increasing enjoyable or meaningful activities
Learning coping and problem-solving skills
Between-session practice: CBT works best when the skills learned in sessions are practised between appointments, helping changes become lasting.
Tracking progress: Progress is regularly reviewed so therapy can be adjusted as needed.
Evidence for CBT across common presentations
Major Depressive Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia:
Social Anxiety Disorder:
Specific Phobias:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
Bipolar Disorder:
Eating Disorders:
Insomnia:
Substance Use Disorders:
Children and Adolescents:
