The cognitive part focuses on understanding how the way that we interpret our situations affects our feelings, behaviours and our body. Often, it is not the event itself that determines our experience, but our ways of looking at those events.

In CBT, self-awareness is the first step. Once we become more aware of our automatic thoughts, a constant stream of thoughts that are not under our deliberate control, we are in a better position to notice and challenge them when they get in the way.

By identifying and examining our thoughts, we play an active role in changing the way we feel. The focus is on checking how helpful and accurate our thoughts are in any given situation.

The behavioural part focuses on understanding the impact of our behaviours and our mood. This may include taking a look at our daily activities and understanding how they affect our mood. It can also involve facing our fears by gradually exposing ourselves to avoided situations as a way of working with unhelpful fears.

CBT emphasize what is going on in the person’s current life, rather than what has led up to their difficulties. A certain amount of information about one’s history is needed, but the focus is primarily on moving forward in time to develop more effective ways of coping with life.

More information about CBT can be found at Beck Institute.