CBT is a form of treatment that has demonstrated to be effective for a range of problems and numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life. Principles of CBT include: Problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking. Problems are based, in part, on learned patterns or unhelpful behaviour. People suffering can learn better ways of coping with problems. CBT usually involves efforts to change thinking patterns.