Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) refers to a collection of therapeutic techniques that have been developed by mental health professionals over the past 40 years to help people with depression, anxiety and stress. The assumptions behind CBT are:

• Cognitive activity (thoughts, images and perceptions) affects mood and behaviour.
• Cognitive activity can be dysfunctional at times. Sometimes people make errors in their thinking or distort their perceptions of things. All people do this sometimes for different reasons. Some people do it a lot, which can lead to ongoing problems with mood and behaviour.
• Cognitive activity can be monitored and altered.
• Desired behaviour change can be brought about through cognitive change.
• People are active learners, not just passive recipients of environmental events; they create their own learning environment.
• CBT treatment goals center on creating new adaptive learning opportunities to overcome cognitive dysfunction.