Recommended by the HSE and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has become the dominant treatment used by psychological therapists over the last two decades.
The reason for this is the rich evidence base underpinning CBT. Extremely widely researched, CBT focuses on tried-and-tested methods that have been found to be effective in rigorous research trials. As well as being the most frequently recommended form of psychotherapy for anxiety and depression, CBT is also widely used in stress management programmes. The principles of CBT are easy to learn. As a result, it is used by large numbers of people seeking to manage the day-to-day stresses of normal life.