Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The book seeks to introduce you to both CBT theory and practice so that you can continue to use this powerful tool in your own life. The following pages can help you: understand some of the distinctive features of the cognitive behavioral approach, become familiar with the basic principles, strategies and models of CBT, learn how to organize your own issues within the framework that CBT provides, recognize unhelpful patterns of thinking and action that can lead to your difficulties, and create realistic, step-by-step

When you advance, there will be activities that will help you improve your understanding of CBT strategies and use real-life examples to illustrate the main points. I also included a few trouble-shooting tips to help you achieve your desired results.

In general, cognitive behavioral therapy is short-term and focused on helping clients cope with a very specific issue. People learn how to recognise and alter damaging or upsetting patterns of thought that have a negative impact on attitudes and emotions during the course of treatment.

The underlying concept behind CBT is that in our actions our thoughts and feelings play a fundamental role. A person who spends a lot of time worrying about plane crashes, runway accidents and other air disasters, for example, may find themselves avoiding air travel.