What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive behavioral therapy asserts a causal relationship between healthy & unhealthy human assumptions/thoughts regarding our environment, emotions & behaviors. For example, a bus-phobic person may assume “I am in danger” when getting on a bus. Cognitive behavioral therapy would ask that person to review the known assumptions & test out the theory with experiments (typically following the development of anxiety management skills,) then replace the unhealthy assumptions with healthy assumptions.
Cognitive behavioral therapy has been the subject of significant empirical research for decades, & has demonstrated effectiveness with many diagnoses. Cognitive behavioral therapy does not make assumptions regarding belief systems, which are individually determined by the client. And, achieving insight is regarded as typically only the beginning of treatment, with changes in behavior (as agreed upon by both client & psychologist) followed by stabilization being the typical end goal.
