Name a widely used evidence-based practice approach for cognitive-behavioral change.

• A. Psychoanalytic Therapy
• B. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• C. Humanistic Therapy
• D. Narrative Therapy

Answer: (B)

Shifting thoughts to change feelings and behavior is the central idea. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy combines addressing automatic, unhelpful thinking with practicing new behaviors to test and reinforce those changes. It’s widely used because it has a large and robust evidence base showing effectiveness across many conditions, and it’s typically structured, time-limited, and skills-based. In practice, CBT helps clients identify distorted thoughts, evaluate the evidence for and against them, and use behavioral strategies—like activity scheduling, exposure, or behavioral experiments—to reduce distress. The emphasis on homework and measurable goals makes progress observable and helps with relapse prevention, which is why it’s a go-to approach for cognitive-behavioral change. Other therapies often focus on different mechanisms—psychoanalytic approaches on unconscious processes, humanistic on personal growth and self-acceptance, narrative on re-authoring life stories—and while valuable, they don’t center on the same structured, evidence-based methods for changing thoughts and behaviors that CBT provides.