A client who believes “I am unlovable” learns to test that thought against actual evidence and to experiment with new behaviors. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, targets the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Developed from the work of Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis, CBT assumes that distorted thinking maintains emotional distress. Therapists teach clients to identify automatic thoughts, evaluate their accuracy, and generate more balanced alternatives. Behavioral experiments and graded exposure reduce avoidance. Sessions are structured, goal-oriented, and usually time-limited.

Strong evidence supports CBT for depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and many other conditions. It works well in individual, group, and digital formats. Critics note that it can feel overly rational or insufficiently attentive to deeper emotional history; many practitioners therefore integrate elements from other approaches. At its best, CBT equips people with portable skills they continue to use after therapy ends.

• Focuses on changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors
• Structured and usually short-term
• Strong empirical support for many disorders
• Teaches skills clients can apply independently