Cognitive behavioural therapy (or CBT) is an approach that aims to identify negative emotions, behaviours and thoughts (cognitions) and find ways to transcend them.

CBT treatments have received sound empirical support for a variety of problems, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse. It is often brief and time-limited and is used in individual therapy as well as group settings.

In our Managing Negative Thoughts classes, the objective is to identify and monitor thoughts, assumptions, beliefs and behaviors that are related and accompanied to debilitating negative emotions and to identify those which are dysfunctional, inaccurate, or simply unhelpful. This is done in an effort to replace or transcend them with more realistic and useful ones.

CBT was primarily developed through a merging of behaviour with cognitive therapy. While rooted in rather different theories, these two traditions found common ground in focusing on the "here and now" and symptom removal.

The particular therapeutic techniques vary, but may include keeping a diary of significant events and associated feelings, thoughts and behaviors; questioning and testing cognitions, assumptions, evaluations and beliefs that might be unhelpful and unrealistic; gradually facing activities which may have been avoided; and trying out new ways of behaving and reacting.