Cognitive therapy, also called cognitive-behavior therapy, is a practical, present-focused approach to treatment in which the therapist helps people overcome symptoms and improve their functioning by teaching them skills to manage the thoughts (cognitions) and behaviors that contribute to their problems.

• empirically-based. Cognitive therapy has been shown in controlled studies to provide effective treatment for numerous problems and disorders. It has been shown to be as effective as drug treatment for depression and the anxiety disorders.
• goal-oriented. Therapist and patient work together to set clear, measurable goals for therapy and to monitor progress toward the goals.
• practical and concrete. Therapy is intended to solve concrete problems. Typical therapy goals include reducing or eliminating depressive symptoms, panic attacks, compulsive rituals, hair-pulling, procrastination, social isolation, and improving mood and relationships with others.
• active. The therapist serves as teacher and coach, and the patient works outside of therapy sessions to practice the strategies learned in therapy.
• collaborative. Patient and therapist work together, as a team, to understand and develop strategies to address the patient's difficulties.

To give a simple example, when Susan was fired from her job, she was extremely upset. Of course, being fired, with all its consequences (being unemployed, having no income, and needing to look for another job) is upsetting to anyone. However, in addition to all those sources of suffering, Susan's distress was magnified by her thoughts about being fired, which included, "Being fired proves I'm incompetent," "I'll never get another good job," and "I'll lose my house." Her behaviors were also a part of the problem: she was so demoralized that she had difficulty taking action to search for a new job, and she avoided interactions with her friends because of her shame and embarrassment about her situation. A cognitive-behavior therapist can help Susan identify the thoughts and behaviors that are contributing to her suffering and shift them to more adaptive thoughts (such as, "Being fired is upsetting, but it doesn't prove I'm incompetent," "I can find a new job - maybe even one that is even better than the one I just lost!") and behaviors (such as taking effective action to mount an aggressive job search) that can reduce her suffering and improve her life.