What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a structured, practical form of psychotherapy that helps you identify and shift unhelpful thinking patterns — the kind that keep us stuck in distressing emotional loops or behaviours we genuinely want to change.
Most of us develop thinking habits over time that distort how we perceive situations. We might automatically assume the worst, judge ourselves harshly, or avoid things that make us anxious — and these patterns reinforce themselves over time. CBT gives you tools to spot these patterns, challenge them, and develop more balanced ways of thinking and responding.
One of the things that makes CBT distinct is that it's collaborative and skill-building. You're not just talking — you're learning to become your own therapist, so the insights you gain in sessions translate into real changes outside of them.
Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are all connected. When we think about a situation in a distorted or unhelpful way, it produces difficult feelings that lead to behaviours that make things worse — which then reinforces the original thought. This is the "downward spiral" that CBT is designed to interrupt.
By working with a CBT therapist, you learn to slow down your automatic responses, examine the assumptions you're making, and find alternative ways of processing what's happening. Over time, new thinking habits replace old ones — and better thoughts lead to better feelings and better outcomes.
Example: Two people face the same conflict with their partner. One approaches it thinking "I can handle this" — they feel curious and confident, communicate openly, and the conflict resolves. The other thinks "this means the end" — they feel anxious and ashamed, shut down, and the relationship suffers. CBT works on the thinking that sits underneath those different responses.
Your CBT therapist will use a range of evidence-based techniques to help you arrive at different perspectives. They may give you exercises or homework to practise between sessions, work on goal-setting, and track your progress over time.
CBT has one of the largest bodies of evidence of any psychological treatment and is effective across a wide range of conditions.
Our accredited CBT therapists and counsellors are available across Australia — face-to-face, online, and by phone, 7 days a week. For appointments or enquiries, please call 1300 735 030 or leave us an email via our contact page.
Yes. CBT is one of the most effective and well-researched treatments for anxiety. It works by identifying and shifting the fearful or catastrophic thinking patterns that keep anxiety going, and building practical tools to respond to triggering situations differently.
Yes. When anger leads to strong or damaging behavioural responses, CBT can help by addressing how we process the emotions and situations that trigger anger. Better thinking leads to more proportionate responses — and better outcomes in relationships.
Yes, there is a very large body of research and evidence over decades that supports CBT being the most effective treatment option for people experiencing depression, even more effective than medication alone.
Your therapist will work with you to understand the situations that are causing difficulty — how you think about them, how you feel, and how you respond. From there, they'll help you challenge distorted or unhelpful thinking patterns and build new skills and strategies to respond differently. Sessions are practical and collaborative, and often include exercises or homework to practise between appointments.
Yes. CBT is a structured therapeutic approach that requires specific training. Most fully qualified and registered counsellors and psychologists have CBT training and draw on it to varying degrees. When you get in touch with Life Supports, let our team know you're looking for someone with a CBT background — they'll factor that in alongside your other preferences when finding the right fit.
A therapist working with CBT will work with you to understand the situations that concern you, how you fee about them, how you think about them and how you behave in response. Working back from this, a CBT therapist will help you challenge any negative or distorted patterns of thinking about a situation so you can see it from more points of view. With different ways to process a situation, they’ll also help you build skills and tools so you can behave differently in response to these situations. The premise of CBT is that if you change the way you think about something, you can change the way you behave towards it and ultimately change how you feel about it, so that you’re able to develop healthier and more fulfilling patterns in your life in response to situations that arise. A CBT therapist will help educate you, they might do some forms of assessment or questionnaires with you, and they will probably give you homework and strategies to practice during and in between sessions. A CBT therapist will often work with your goals and practice goal setting, so that together you can measure your improvements and work on practical strategies to help with what is most relevant to your situation.
When you contact us, our intake team will take the time to understand your situation, goals, and preferences — including location, availability, budget, and what you want in a therapist. They have an in-depth knowledge of each practitioner's background and approach, and they'll match you with someone who fits — not just someone who's available.
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