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Chapter 1 - An Historical Overview of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

from Part I - An Overview of the Model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 November 2025

Jessica Davies ,
Paul Salkovskis  and
Kenneth Laidlaw
Foreword by
Judith S. Beck
Jessica Davies
Affiliation:
University of Exeter
Paul Salkovskis
Affiliation:
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust & University of Oxford
Kenneth Laidlaw
Affiliation:
University of Exeter
Judith S. Beck
Affiliation:
Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy & University of Pennsylvania
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Summary

After reading this chapter you will have a historical overview for CBT and begin to appreciate how elements of this therapy developed over time.

You will be able explain CBT to clients in a more enriched way as you appreciate the fundamental principles of this approach.

You will be better able to appreciate the uniqueness of CBT as a psychotherapy and differentiate it from other structured evidence-based therapies.

You will have a better knowledge about how behavioural and cognitive elements of CBT interact to enhance treatment.

Keywords

CBTCTBTBAAaron T. Beck.

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Chapter
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Cambridge Guide to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) , pp. 1 - 9
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

Further Reading

The following sources provide more in-depth coverage of topics raised in this chapter.

Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive Therapy of Depression. New York: Guilford Press. The classic text which sets out the fundamental principles for the application of CBT. A must have.Google Scholar
Beck, J. S., & Fleming, S. (2021). A brief history of Aaron T. Beck, MD, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Clinical Psychology in Europe, 3(2), Article e6701, https://doi.org/10.32872/cpe.6701. A more personal account of the history of CBT providing insight into our primary trailblazer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dimidjian, S., Barrera, M. Jr., Martell, C., Munoz, R. F., & Lewinsohn, P. M. (2011). The origins and current status of behavioral activation treatments for depression. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 7, 1−38. A comprehensive and collaborative account of BA written by the key originators.10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032210-104535CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewinsohn, P., Munoz, R., Youngren, M. A., & Zeiss, A. M. (1992). Control Your Depression. Revised and expanded. New York: Prentice-Hall. Another absolute classic guide to behavioural treatment of depression written for clinicians. A must have.Google Scholar

References

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Beck, A. T. (2019). A 60-year evolution of cognitive theory and therapy. Perspect. Psychol. Sci., 14(1), 16–20.10.1177/1745691618804187CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
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