Cognitive behavioural therapy and person-centred therapy
This page is for people comparing two common talking-therapy approaches. Many practitioners draw on more than one tradition, and the relationship with your therapist usually matters more than the label.
Cognitive behavioural therapy
The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies describes cognitive behavioural therapy as a family of talking therapies built on one idea: what we think, how we feel, what we do and how our body feels are all connected, so a change in one can shift the others. It is collaborative — you and the therapist agree goals and work on them together, often with practice between sessions. It is widely offered through NHS Talking Therapies and privately.
The title “cognitive behavioural therapist” is not protected by law. Accredited cognitive behavioural psychotherapists are listed on the public register kept by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies.
Person-centred therapy
Person-centred counselling puts a warm, non-judgemental relationship at the centre and follows your pace and your own sense of what matters. As the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy puts it, a counsellor will not give you advice; they help you find your own way forward. Sessions tend to feel exploratory rather than structured. Many counsellors train in this tradition.
Choosing
Neither is universally “better”. Some people want skills and structure; others want room to talk freely. In an introduction request you can ask what a typical course of work looks like. On Find a therapist you can filter by approach, or read who does what across the professions.