What is cognitive-behavioural therapy?
Cognitive-behavioural therapy (often referred to as CBT) is a popular and effective
talk therapy for a range of psychological and behavioural problems. It focuses on
teaching people new ways of managing their behaviour and their thinking patterns
in order to cope better.
‘Cognitions’ are the thoughts and beliefs that influence how we feel
and consequently behave. Certain patterns of thought are unhelpful because they
lead to strong negative feelings (such as anxiety, depression) and thus lead to
destructive behaviours such as substance misuse, self-harm etc. It is possible,
with support, to learn how to change these habits of unhelpful thinking and thus
gain more control over feelings, moods and behaviour.
People can also learn how to be more aware of their behaviour patterns, to set goals
for change and take more control of their lives. Becoming more aware of triggers
and cues to behaviours and developing new skills for responding to these is an important
element.
A cognitive-behavioural approach offers a source of empowerment to people who are
struggling to make changes in their substance use. It can be used effectively on
a one to one basis or in groups and people typically find it helpful after just
a few sessions.
There is an increasingly strong evidence base for the cognitive-behavioural approach
and it forms the foundation of very many programmes to help people with alcohol
and drug problems.
For information on training in this approach go to our page on
cognitive-behavioural approaches courses and training.