Definition
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapy model that holds that automatic thoughts and distorted cognitive schemas generate negative emotions and dysfunctional behaviors. By identifying and restructuring those thoughts, the client can modify their emotional experience and behavior. It is the therapeutic approach with the most randomized controlled trials in the history of psychology.
How it's used
A typical CBT session begins with a collaborative agenda: therapist and client agree on the topics to work on. They review the previous week's homework, identify activating situations (A), automatic thoughts (B), and emotional-behavioral consequences (C) — the ABC model.
Core techniques include the automatic thought record, cognitive restructuring (questioning the evidence for and against a belief), behavioral experiments (testing in real life whether the catastrophic prediction occurs), and graded exposure for specific anxieties.
The therapist adopts an active and didactic role, explicitly teaching skills so the client can apply them autonomously. Homework is a structural part of treatment — not optional.
When to apply
CBT has strong evidence for depression, anxiety disorders, OCD, PTSD, eating disorders, chronic pain, and insomnia, among others. It is a time-limited approach — typically 12-20 sessions — making it accessible in settings where resources are limited.
Historical origin
Aaron Beck developed cognitive therapy at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1960s, initially for depression. Albert Ellis had parallel developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Both approaches merged with the behavioral traditions of Skinner and Pavlov to produce what we now call CBT. The third generation of CBT includes ACT, DBT, and metacognitive therapy.
How CauceOS supports it
CauceOS offers CBT note templates that record automatic thoughts identified in session, techniques applied, and homework assigned. Alerts can be configured to mark when the client verbalizes specific cognitive distortions (catastrophizing, personalization, dichotomous thinking).
Related terms
- DBT — dialectical evolution of CBT for intense emotional regulation
- ACT — third wave of CBT with emphasis on acceptance and values
- BIRP — note format oriented toward behavioral interventions
References
- Beck, A. T. (1979). Cognitive Therapy of Depression. Guilford.
- Clark, D. A., & Beck, A. T. (2010). Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders. Guilford.
- Hofmann, S. G., et al. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive Therapy and Research.