Cognitive –Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of counseling aimed at goal achievement by modifying certain thought and behavior patterns. Its premise is that thought and behavior can affect a person’s symptoms and be an obstacle to recovery. CBT can be helpful in treating a variety of problems, including depression, anxiety and panic disorders dealing with life events such as: divorce, unemployment, issues with children and mounting stress.

In CBT, the therapist and client work together to identify and change negative thinking and behavior patterns that may contribute to emotional or physical illness. The focus in therapy is to alter and change these thoughts or self-talk which express one’s beliefs and perceptions. Cognitive approaches focus on replacing one thought, belief, or form of self-talk with another (e.g. “my life is miserable”, to “I have purpose in life”). Therapy also focuses on teaching the client more positive ways of thinking about and coping with life events and relationships.

Unlike many traditional counseling processes, CBT focuses on outcomes and goals. Results include a briefer counseling process in which the client experiences relatively rapid relief and enduring progress. CBT is a simple model and has proven to be a powerful and successful type of psychological treatment in outcome studies conducted over the past several decades.