Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a popular evidence-based mental health treatment built on two key ideas (Sutton, 2017): 1. Dysfunctional thinking causes psychological disturbances. 2. Realistically evaluating our thinking will lead to improved emotional states and behaviors, reduced suffering, and improved well-being. With the help of CBT, clients can identify unhelpful thoughts and evaluate whether these thoughts are realistically true. Recognizing that unhelpful thoughts are not true can then lead to the dissolving of the negative emotional states and behaviors that the thoughts had been causing (Sutton, 2017). I think CBT is a useful option for treating children. The effectiveness of CBT for treating children, especially for treating anxiety, is backed by clinical studies (Celano, 2018; Houston, 2022). I also broadly agree with the CBT principle that thinking causes our emotions and behaviors. However, I think CBT trains us to suppress symptoms without addressing root causes. Or to use an [[IFS]] lens, I think CBT trains parts of us to suppress other parts who have good reasons for the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that we are trying to eliminate. The root cause left unaddressed by CBT are the wounded, traumatized, or exiled parts that seek healing and the parts that are trying to protect them from further harm or protect us from being overwhelmed by the exiled part's pain (Schwartz & Sweezy, 2019). Resources https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-cbt-definition-meaning/