What Is CBT?
Have you ever wondered why certain feelings seem to linger or why you react strongly in some situations? What if you had a reliable way to understand your inner world—and change how you respond to it?
That’s the power of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
CBT is a structured, skills-based, and collaborative approach to therapy. It helps you understand how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected—and how shifting one part of the pattern can create real, lasting change in how you feel and respond to life.
It’s not just about managing symptoms. It’s about discovering what keeps you stuck, learning how to break those patterns, and building healthier ways of thinking and living.
A Foundation for Change: Thoughts, Feelings, and Actions
One of the core ideas in CBT is that our experiences are shaped not just by what happens to us—but by how we think about what happens.
Take a simple example: You see a dog off-leash on the street.
- Thought: “That dog might attack me.”
- Feeling: Fear
- Action: You avoid the area
That response reinforces your belief that the dog (and perhaps all dogs) are dangerous—even if nothing happened.
This cycle plays out in many areas of life. In CBT, you learn to catch these patterns, question your thoughts, and experiment with new behaviors that support your goals.
What CBT Is Not
Understanding what CBT isn’t can be just as important:
- It’s not just “positive thinking” — CBT helps you think more clearly and realistically—not to pretend everything is fine, but to see things as they truly are and respond in helpful ways.
- It’s not superficial — While CBT teaches strategies that work in the short term, it also gets to the root of unhelpful thinking and behavioral patterns.
- It’s not one-size-fits-all — CBT is flexible and adapts to your unique personality, needs, and pace. A good therapist will work with you, not on you.
The “Think – Act – Be” Model
CBT can be thought of in three parts, often described as Think, Act, Be—an easy-to-remember way to understand the skills you’ll develop in therapy.
1. Think: Working with Thoughts
Learn to identify and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns like:
- Jumping to conclusions
- Catastrophizing
- Black-and-white thinking
- Harsh self-judgment
You’ll explore deeper “core beliefs” about yourself, others, and the world—beliefs often shaped by past experiences and stress. Understanding them helps reduce their influence and open up new possibilities.
Helpful tip: When you feel triggered, ask yourself: “What just went through my mind?” Then gently explore: “Is that 100% true? Is there another way of seeing this?”
2. Act: Choosing Helpful Behaviors
CBT helps you take meaningful action—especially when your emotions or habits pull you in the opposite direction. Some core behavioral tools include:
- Behavioral activation: Re-engaging with activities that bring you energy, joy, or meaning—especially helpful when you feel low or unmotivated.
- Facing fears gradually: Instead of avoiding what feels uncomfortable, CBT supports you in approaching it step by step—at your pace, with guidance.
- Breaking tasks down: Overwhelmed? Learn how to make things manageable and take action, even when you don’t feel like it.
3. Be: Mindful Awareness and Acceptance
Mindfulness in CBT means being fully present with whatever is happening—without judgment or resistance. It helps you create space between a thought or emotion and your reaction. With mindfulness, you can:
- Observe thoughts without getting swept away
- Tolerate discomfort without panic or avoidance
- Let go of overthinking, worry, and harsh self-criticism
You’ll learn to be the observer of your mind—not the victim of it.
CBT helps you think more clearly and realistically—not to pretend that everything is fine, but to see things as they truly are.
CBT Is Rooted in the Present—But Informed by the Past
CBT helps you take meaningful action—especially when your emotions or habits pull you in the opposite direction. Some core behavioral tools include:
- Behavioral activation: Re-engaging with activities that bring you energy, joy, or meaning—especially helpful when you feel low or unmotivated.
- Facing fears gradually: Instead of avoiding what feels uncomfortable, CBT supports you in approaching it step by step—at your pace, with guidance.
- Breaking tasks down: Overwhelmed? Learn how to make things manageable and take action, even when you don’t feel like it.
Your Role in CBT: Becoming Your Own Therapist
CBT is not something that’s “done to you.” It’s a collaborative process—you and your therapist work together to understand your patterns, practice new skills, and track your progress.
Over time, you’ll learn how to:
- Recognize unhelpful thoughts on your own
- Respond to emotional triggers with more choice
- Practice behaviors that align with your values
- Create your own tools for growth and resilience
The ultimate goal? To make therapy unnecessary. You take the skills with you—for life.
Setting Goals and Maintaining Progress
In CBT, you’ll set goals that are:
- Personal and meaningful
- Specific and achievable
- Measurable and motivating
- Create your own tools for growth and resilience
You take the skills with you—for life. As you make progress, your therapist will help you prepare for setbacks and maintain your gains. Even after therapy ends, you’ll know how to respond when stress or old patterns return.
This is how CBT supports long-term change—by building confidence in your ability to navigate challenges, not avoid them.
