Cognitive Therapy is a focused, problem-solving approach to psychological treatment that was developed by Aaron T. Beck, M.D., in the 1970s. Earlier in his career as a psychiatrist, Beck practiced from a psychoanalytic tradition and found himself frustrated by the painfully slow progress of his patients. He strove to develop a more direct and potent approach to therapy, which has become widely known as cognitive therapy (also known as cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT).

Cognitive therapy is essentially a method that identifies thoughts that produce negative or painful feelings, as well as result in maladaptive behavior or reactions. Beck discovered that the primary point of intervention was at the level of a person’s thoughts, and that if changes are made in thinking (automatic thoughts, assumptions and core beliefs), changes in emotions and behavior will follow. Furthermore, behavioral techniques and strategies are employed as needed to enhance the treatment outcome (i.e., anger management, relaxation training, graduated exposure to feared situations, assertiveness training). The course of treatment is typically brief, and people usually experience relatively rapid relief and enduring progress.

Cognitive therapy’s elegantly simple model has proven to be the most powerful and effective type of psychological treatment in outcome studies conducted over the past several decades. Due to the availability of literature and training of professionals in CBT, cognitive therapy currently enjoys widespread popularity, and is practiced by many qualified professionals throughout the United States and internationally.

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