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CBT

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

The world's most studied talk therapy — short, structured, evidence-based.

CBT helps you notice the thoughts that drive distress, test them against reality, and replace the behaviours that keep you stuck. It is the first-line psychological treatment for anxiety and depression in NICE, APA and WHO guidelines.

What CBT helps with

  • Depression
  • Generalised anxiety
  • Panic disorder
  • Social anxiety
  • OCD (with ERP)
  • Insomnia (CBT-I)
  • PTSD (TF-CBT)

How CBT works

  1. 1Map the thought–feeling–behaviour loop keeping a problem alive.
  2. 2Identify cognitive distortions and test them with evidence and behavioural experiments.
  3. 3Build small, scheduled behavioural changes that prove the new belief week by week.
  4. 4End with a written relapse-prevention plan you can re-run on your own.

Core techniques

  • Thought records
  • Cognitive restructuring
  • Behavioural activation
  • Exposure & response prevention
  • Behavioural experiments
  • Relapse-prevention plans

CBT FAQs

Is CBT right for me?

If your distress is fed by recurring negative thoughts, avoidance, or stuck behavioural loops — depression, anxiety, panic, social anxiety, insomnia, OCD or PTSD — CBT has the strongest evidence base in psychology and is usually the first modality clinicians offer.

How long does CBT take to work?

Most protocol-based CBT runs 8–20 sessions. Many people report measurable change on PHQ-9 or GAD-7 within the first 4–6 weeks of consistent practice.

Can I start CBT for free, today?

Yes. The free AI Psychologist on this site is CBT-aware — it can build a thought record with you, run a behavioural experiment, and hand you a personalised next-step plan in minutes. No sign-up needed.

Is CBT just 'positive thinking'?

No. CBT is not about replacing negative thoughts with cheerful ones. It is about testing whether your thoughts are accurate and useful, then doing the behavioural work to live by the more accurate version.

Can I learn to deliver CBT myself?

Yes — for clinicians, counsellors, psychologists and trainees, the CBT Mastery in 30 Days course teaches you to formulate, plan and deliver protocol-based CBT, with AI mock-client sessions and a capstone certificate signed by Dr. Sodhi.

Start CBT today — three ways