Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a well-researched and highly effective evidence-based treatment for depression. (Note: it’s also considered an evidence-based treatment for many other mental health conditions but I focus on how it works in the context of treating depression here.)

CBT for depression operates based on the theory that people experience depression because of unhelpful core beliefs about themselves, others, and their world that developed as a result of a person’s early life experiences and learning history. These beliefs in turn shape how people process and interpret information in the present. Those interpretations impact what we do and how we feel in situations — in other words, our thoughts about a situation will impact our behavior and our emotions. Given that, CBT focuses on teaching people techniques that effectively change patterns in behavior and thinking that cause difficult or distressing emotions.

The ultimate goal of CBT is that, by the end of therapy, a patient can function as their own therapist (in other words, you learn all the techniques that the therapist has to teach you so that your therapist eventually becomes obsolete). Just like many other evidence-based treatments, CBT is designed to be fast-moving, goal-oriented, and time-limited. To do that, it requires a highly personalized approach, with the plan for treatment being guided by what’s called a “case conceptualization”, which is a hypothesis about what factors are fueling or maintaining your depressive symptoms. When guided by a well-done case conceptualization, treatment using CBT should feel like it’s customized to you and fits you like a glove.