01UNDERSTAND YOUR THOUGHTS
Notice unhelpful thinking patterns
Explore all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization, and other cognitive distortions.
Explore cognitive distortionsA LITTLE UNDERSTANDING. A NEW POSSIBILITY.Cognitive Behavioral
Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy (CBT)
Explore the connection between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. Start with one small, practical step.
✓ Free learning resources✓ Go at your own pace
Room to reflect.
Space to grow.
Space to grow.
NOTICE THE PATTERNEXPLORE ANOTHER PERSPECTIVETRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT
THE BASICSSmall shifts.
Small shifts.
New possibilities.
Thoughts↔Feelings↔Actions
What is CBT?
Our thoughts, feelings, and actions are connected. CBT helps us explore those connections.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a talking therapy that helps people recognize and work with unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. Practice can involve examining a thought, looking at a situation from another angle, or trying a different action.
You don’t have to figure everything out at once. This page introduces the basics and points you to exercises you can explore at your own pace.
Read the NHS guide to CBTFROM UNDERSTANDING TO PRACTICE
Start where you are.
01
02MAKE SENSE OF FEELINGS
Put your emotions into words
Practice identifying what you feel and noticing the situation around that emotion.
Explore your emotions
03TAKE A SMALL STEP
Turn a problem into a plan
Break a manageable problem into smaller parts and consider what you can try next.
Practice problem solvingThese free exercises are from our DBT lesson library and introduce skills relevant to this CBT overview.
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVEA thought isn’t the
A thought isn’t the
whole story.
Imagine a friend hasn’t replied to your message. There may be more than one way to understand the silence.
This example shows how you might pause, consider other explanations, and choose your next step.
THE FIRST THOUGHT
“They haven’t replied. I must have upset them.”
↓ Pause. What else could be true?
A MORE BALANCED THOUGHT
“I don’t know why they haven’t replied. They could be busy. I can give it some time.”
A possible next step
Put your phone down and return to something you planned to do.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Questions about CBT
What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?
CBT is a talking therapy that explores how thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and behaviors influence each other. It involves learning and practicing ways to respond to unhelpful patterns.
Is CBT about always thinking positively?
No. A CBT exercise can help you examine a thought and consider a more balanced perspective. The aim is not to force a positive interpretation or dismiss a difficult experience.
Can I learn CBT skills on my own?
Self-help resources can introduce CBT concepts and give you opportunities to practice. They are not a replacement for individual assessment or treatment. A qualified therapist can help you decide what support is appropriate for you.
How are these resources related to DBT?
The exercises linked here come from our existing DBT library. They cover related skills such as noticing thinking patterns, naming emotions, and solving problems. They are a starting point for practice, rather than a complete CBT treatment program.
Get curious about your thinking.
Start by noticing a pattern. You can build from there.
Try the first exerciseThese resources are for education and self-help, not diagnosis or a substitute for professional care.
Explore our DBT homepage →