Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or CBT is the umbrella term used for a school of psychological therapies that share the underlying assumption that people are disturbed not by events in their lives but by their beliefs about those events.
It is a logical and practical approach to help people with their problems; as such, it can be extremely empowering and can bring lasting relief after short term treatment.
There are a number of different approaches within the cognitive behaviour tradition. The two pioneering therapies, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), developed by Albert Ellis in the 50s, and Cognitive Therapy (CT), developed by Aaron Beck in the 60s, have been joined by a number of other cognitive and behaviour approaches:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) developed by Stephen Hayes
Mindfulness developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Schema Therapy developed by Jeffrey Young
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) developed by Marsha Linehan
and many more…
A practising Cognitive Behaviour Therapist may use approaches from a combination of these therapies.
Today, there is considerable evidence that CBT is a very effective therapy approach. For some problems research indicates that it is actually the treatment of choice.
In practice, the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist helps the client to identify thoughts and beliefs that lead to distress, then explore and re-evaluate those thoughts, before helping the client develop more constructive thoughts and thus more helpful emotions and behaviour.
Please click on this video where Dr Windy Dryden gives a brief and practical introduction to the cognitive behavioural approach of REBT