Glossary
Every term CBT actually runs on
Search or filter by category. Each entry has a plain-language definition, a clinical definition, a worked example, and related terms.
26 of 26 terms
- MD-01Model
Cognitive Triad
Aaron Beck's idea that depression is fed by three linked negative views: of yourself, of the world, and of the future.
- MD-02Model
ABC Model
Albert Ellis's shorthand for how upset really happens: an Activating event doesn't cause the Consequence directly — the Belief about it does.
- CC-01Core concept
Automatic Thoughts
The quick, almost involuntary thoughts that pop up in a situation, often so fast you barely notice them — only the feeling that follows.
- CC-02Core concept
Core Belief / Schema
A deep, often old rule about yourself, others, or the world that quietly shapes many of your automatic thoughts.
- CC-03Core concept
Cognitive Distortion
A habitual thinking pattern that skews how a situation is read — usually in a more negative or extreme direction than the facts support.
- CD-01Distortion
All-or-Nothing Thinking
Seeing things in only two categories, with no middle ground — perfect or a total failure.
- CD-02Distortion
Catastrophizing
Jumping straight to the worst possible outcome and treating it as likely, even certain.
- CD-03Distortion
Overgeneralization
Taking one bad experience and treating it as a never-ending pattern.
- CD-04Distortion
Mind Reading
Assuming you know what someone else is thinking, usually something negative about you.
- CD-05Distortion
Fortune Telling
Predicting that things will turn out badly, as if it were already decided.
- CD-06Distortion
Personalization
Taking the blame for something that wasn't entirely, or even mostly, your doing.
- CD-07Distortion
Should Statements
Rigid rules about how you or others must behave, which create guilt or resentment when unmet.
- CD-08Distortion
Emotional Reasoning
Treating a strong feeling as proof of a fact — "I feel it, so it must be true."
- CD-09Distortion
Mental Filter
Zooming in on one negative detail while ignoring everything that went well.
- CD-10Distortion
Disqualifying the Positive
Dismissing good things that happen as if they don't really count.
- CD-11Distortion
Labeling
Reducing yourself or someone else to a single harsh word based on one mistake.
- CD-12Distortion
Magnification & Minimization
Blowing your flaws or a setback out of proportion while shrinking your strengths.
- TQ-01Technique
Cognitive Restructuring
The core CBT skill of noticing a distorted thought, checking it against the evidence, and building a more balanced one.
- TQ-02Technique
Socratic Questioning
A style of asking guided, curious questions that helps someone examine a thought for themselves, rather than being told it's wrong.
- TQ-03Technique
Behavioral Activation
Deliberately scheduling small, valued activities to break the cycle where low mood causes withdrawal, which then deepens low mood.
- TQ-04Technique
Exposure Hierarchy
A ranked list of feared situations, from mildly uncomfortable to very difficult, worked through gradually so avoidance doesn't win.
- TQ-05Technique
Systematic Desensitization
Pairing relaxation with gradual exposure to a feared situation so the fear response weakens over repeated practice.
- TQ-06Technique
Thought Record
A written worksheet that walks a thought from situation to feeling to automatic thought to evidence to a more balanced conclusion.
- TQ-07Technique
Case Formulation
A working map of how a client's history, beliefs, and current triggers fit together to explain and guide treatment of their difficulties.
- TQ-08Technique
Collaborative Empiricism
The therapist and client working together as a team, testing thoughts against evidence like co-investigators rather than one correcting the other.
- TQ-09Technique
Relapse Prevention
Planning ahead, near the end of treatment, for how to recognize and respond to warning signs before old patterns take over again.