At its most basic level, CBT is talk therapy. It usually pairs a patient with a therapist; the two work toward finding practical solutions to unhealthy or otherwise troubling patient behavior. CBT differs from other kinds of talk therapy in the way it roots out and addresses these behaviors.

Instead of past events or difficult relationships, CBT in California looks for what’s known as cognitive distortions—false beliefs or erroneous attributions—behind the patient’s condition. The therapist then helps the patient identify and correct these thought patterns and replace them with more productive ones.

For instance, say a patient believes that if they don’t get recognized for their work on a presentation at work, they will never get promoted, their co-workers will lose respect for them and eventually, they’ll get fired. CBT would help them to see that their dire predictions are wildly exaggerated and unlikely to come true. The therapist would then help the patient find a more realistic outcome, along with coping techniques and alternative methods of addressing the situation.

CBT is a very pragmatic form of treatment, concerned principally with practical fixes to commonly occurring problems. By learning to change the way you think about a problem, you can change the way you act in response to it.

Although CBT is used to treat various mental issues, it has practical applications for substance abuse as well. Often, a core issue like depression, anxiety, or PTSD drives the patient to seek comfort or relief in drugs and alcohol.