During a course of CBT, a person can learn to:
- Develop an awareness of automatic, unhelpful thoughts
- Challenge underlying assumptions that may be unhelpful
- Distinguish between facts and unhelpful thoughts
- Develop a more helpful way of thinking and seeing situations
Strategies
The exact course of a person’s CBT varies, depending on their symptoms and circumstances. During a typical course, a person:
- Has regular one-on-one or group sessions or a combination of both
- Gets frequent feedback
- Does role-playing activities
- Learns ways to calm the mind and body
- Has gradually increased exposure to the things they fear
- Does homework assignments
- Keeps a cognitive behavioral diary
- Practices skills to promote positive behavioral change and growth
What can it treat?
Psychologists created the first CBT models more than 50 years agoTrusted Source to treat depression. However, since then, new waves of CBT have emerged with new treatment approaches.
A 2021 reviewTrusted Source suggests CBT can be effective for a variety of mental, physical, and behavioral conditions in the short term, including:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Depression
- Eating disorders, such as bulimia nervosa
- Hypochondriasis
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Substance misuse and addiction
- Panic disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Tinnitus
However, the authors highlight that more research is necessary to assess long-term efficacy.