Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Foundations, Theories & Frameworks
Master the core principles, theories, and clinical frameworks of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy — from Beck's cognitive model to third-wave approaches — and gain the practical tools to apply CBT with confidence.
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Explain the historical development of CBT from early behaviorism through third-wave approaches
- Describe and apply Beck's cognitive model, including automatic thoughts, intermediate beliefs, and core beliefs
- Identify and restructure the most common cognitive distortions using Socratic questioning techniques
- Distinguish between the major CBT frameworks — classic CBT, REBT, DBT, ACT, and MBCT — and identify their clinical applications
- Conduct a structured CBT case conceptualization, linking presenting problems to underlying cognitive and behavioral patterns
- Design and implement core behavioral interventions including behavioral activation, exposure hierarchies, and behavioral experiments
- Use thought records, activity scheduling, and formulation worksheets as standard clinical tools
- Critically evaluate the evidence base for CBT and apply ethical and cultural considerations when using CBT frameworks
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 18 lessons
The Origins of CBT — A History Worth Knowing
Trace the intellectual lineage of CBT from classical and operant conditioning through the cognitive revolution of the 1960s–70s, and understand why this history matters for modern practice.
- 1.1Behaviorism's Foundations: Pavlov, Watson, and SkinnerIncluded
- 1.2The Cognitive Revolution: Beck, Ellis, and the Turn InwardIncluded
- 1.3From First Wave to Second Wave: How CBT Became CBTComing soon
Beck's Cognitive Model — The Heart of CBT
Build a deep, working understanding of Beck's cognitive model — the theoretical engine behind classic CBT — including automatic thoughts, intermediate beliefs, core beliefs, and the cognitive conceptualization diagram.
- 2.1Automatic Thoughts: The Surface Layer of CognitionComing soon
- 2.2Intermediate Beliefs and Core Beliefs: Going DeeperComing soon
- 2.3The Cognitive Conceptualization DiagramComing soon
Cognitive Distortions and Restructuring Techniques
Master the taxonomy of cognitive distortions, learn to recognize them in client language, and build fluency with the restructuring techniques that form the core of cognitive intervention.
- 3.1The 12 Core Cognitive DistortionsComing soon
- 3.2Socratic Questioning: The Engine of Cognitive ChangeComing soon
- 3.3Thought Records and Cognitive Restructuring in PracticeComing soon
Behavioral Theories and Core Behavioral Interventions
Revisit the behavioral pillar of CBT and develop practical competency in behavioral activation, exposure principles, behavioral experiments, and activity scheduling.
- 4.1Behavioral Activation: Treating Depression Through ActionComing soon
- 4.2Exposure Theory and Anxiety: From Habituation to Inhibitory LearningComing soon
- 4.3Behavioral Experiments: Testing Beliefs in the Real WorldComing soon
Third-Wave CBT — ACT, DBT, and MBCT
Explore the theoretical foundations, core mechanisms of change, and clinical applications of the three major third-wave CBT frameworks, and understand how they both extend and diverge from classic CBT.
- 5.1Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): The Flexibility ModelComing soon
- 5.2Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Balancing Acceptance and ChangeComing soon
- 5.3Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): Preventing Relapse Through AwarenessComing soon
Case Conceptualization, Evidence Base, and Ethical Practice
Bring everything together by mastering CBT case conceptualization, critically evaluating CBT's evidence base, and applying ethical and cultural considerations to real-world clinical work.
- 6.1CBT Case Conceptualization: From Assessment to FormulationComing soon
- 6.2The Evidence Base for CBT: What the Research Actually ShowsComing soon
- 6.3Cultural Competence and Ethical Practice in CBTComing soon
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Faith Richardson Johnson
Hi, I'm so glad you're here. I've spent years studying, practicing, and teaching Cognitive Behavioral Therapy — and the question I hear most often from students and early-career clinicians is: "I know the techniques, but I don't really understand why they work." That gap between doing CBT and understanding CBT is exactly what this course is designed to close. I believe that theory isn't the dry part of therapy training — it's the part that makes everything else make sense. When you truly understand the cognitive model, behavioral principles, and the logic behind each framework, you become a more flexible, confident, and effective practitioner. I designed this course to be the rigorous, accessible, and genuinely useful foundation I wish I'd had early in my own training. I can't wait to guide you through it.
— Faith Richardson Johnson
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- 6 modules, 18 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed
16 more lessons coming soon at no extra cost.