What CBT is:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an empirically-supported treatment that helps people identify how their thought patterns contribute to their emotions and behaviors. The goal of CBT is to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and develop more adaptive ways of thinking and behaving. CBT is a very active, present-focused therapy in which individuals are taught to identify their thoughts and then catch and correct any potential errors they make in the ways they talk to themselves. In addition, CBT involves a heavy emphasis on helping people engage in behaviors that are likely to help them create newer and healthier beliefs about themselves.

What CBT treats:
CBT was originally developed to treat depression and has since been adapted to treat many other concerns, including anxiety, traumatic experiences, bipolar disorder, and substance misuse. CBT is considered the gold standard treatment for mood disturbance, anxiety and stress, ADHD, and a host of other difficulties; in fact, some consider it to be the gold standard treatment of psychotherapy in general.