Best Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Books
One of cognitive behavioral therapy's strengths is its ability to be used in both psychotherapy and at home for self-help in the treatment of anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, many CBT books that claim to teach CBT principles and procedures fall short. We've put together a list of the best evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy books for both patients and therapists. The cognitive behavioral therapy books listed below were all written by experts in the field and are widely regarded as foundational in the area of CBT. We've also provided a link to a free online CBT workbook for anyone interested in learning more about CBT. Content on this page may contain affiliate links for some of the books we recommend.
Free Online CBT Workbook: A self-help workbook that introduces the CBT model, cognitive restructuring, cognitive distortions, and behavioral interventions. Includes worksheets that are free to download and print. A practical CBT book recommended for consumers and mental health professionals.
Best Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Books for Consumers:
Feeling Good by David Burns. An easy-to-read best-selling self-help guide using CBT principles to manage anxiety and overcome negative thoughts and thought patterns.
Mind Over Mood by Greenberger and Padesky. A self-help guide primarily emphasizing cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to overcome negative thoughts, depression, and anxiety.
Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Stephen Hayes. A mindfulness-based step-by-step self-help CBT book using principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help you transform your life.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook by McKay, Wood, & Brantley. A CBT workbook providing instruction and DBT exercises for people who have difficulty regulating intense emotions and other severe mental health problems.
Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn. A self-help CBT book that uses mindfulness to help overcome anxiety as well as a variety of other problems.
The Mindful Way Through Depression by Williams, Teasdale, Segal, and Kabat-Zinn. A self-help guide for using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to cope with depression.
Best Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Books for Clinicians:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Basics and Beyond by Judith Beck. An excellent introduction to using CBT interventions for clinicians new to the treatment. Includes practical strategies for making the most of the therapy session, focusing primarily on identifying CBT cognitive distortions and using cognitive reappraisal.
Treatment Plans and Interventions for Depression and Anxiety Disorders by Leahy, Holand, and McGinn. An invaluable reference for the practicing CBT clinician, complete with treatment outlines, printable handouts, and more. Includes plans for obsessive-compulsive disorder, CBT for GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), phobia treatment, CBT for social anxiety, panic attacks, and panic disorder, as well as CBT for self-esteem and depression.
Contemporary Behavior Therapy by Spiegler & Guevremont. A textbook that gives a very broad overview of the history and practice of behavioral and cognitive behavioral therapy.
The ABC’s of Human Behavior by Ramnero & Torneke. It's probably the best introduction to clinical behavior therapy there is. Clear and to the point.
Behavior Modification in Applied Settings by Alan Kazdin. A good book for helping clinicians implement behavioral treatments in a therapeutic setting.
Handbook of Assessment and Treatment Planning for Psychological Disorders by Antony & Barlow. A comprehensive guide of assessment techniques and reviews of evidence-based interventions for a number of common disorders.
Behavioral Activation for Depression by Martell, Dimidjian, & Herman-Dunn. A concise primer for behavioral treatment of depression.
Best Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Books for Advanced Clinicians
Overcoming Resistance in Cognitive Therapy by Robert Leahy. A manual for what to do when things go wrong in cognitive therapy.
Collaborative Case Conceptualization by Kuyken, Padesky, & Dudley. A guide to conceptualization-driven cognitive therapy.
The Case-Formulation Approach to Cognitive-Behavior Therapy by Jaqueline Persons. Another guide to conceptualization-driven treatment. Persons incorporates different evidence-based models of behavior to account for different presenting problems.
Treatment for Chronic Depression by James McCullough. A manual for Cognitive Behavioral Assessment System of Psychotherapy, an integrative CBT treatment for treatment-resistant depression.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An Experiential Approach to Behavior Change by Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson. An introduction to ACT, a third-wave, mindfulness-based behavioral therapy.
Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder by Marsha Linehan. Don’t let the title fool you – this is the definitive textbook on DBT. The other book by Linehan with DBT in the title is just the manual for running the skills group.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression by Segal, Williams, and Teasdale. The manual for MBCT, a third-wave treatment for relapse prevention of depression.
Schema Therapy by Young, Klosko, and Weishaar. An integrative CBT treatment for working with personality disorders.
Click for more information about What CBT is and How it Works.
To find out if cognitive behavioral therapy might be right for you, visit CBT Los Angeles to ask questions or schedule a consultation.