Book excerpt: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has a growing evidence base that supports its efficacy in treating a wide range of psychiatric disorders and has been adapted for use with more complicated patient populations and for different stages of psychiatric illness. As the first Massachusetts General Hospital-branded text on the subject, this is a cutting-edge tool that is unlike any current book on CBT. The authors for this handbook are among the world’s foremost experts in their specialty area and are actively engaged in dynamic research evaluating the efficacy of CBT as well as identifying mechanisms of action for this treatment. This title provides in-depth coverage of the historical background of the development of CBT, a comprehensive review of relevant outcomes data, a survey of mechanisms by which CBT exerts its effect, and, most importantly, a take away “tool box” of CBT strategies and techniques that can be immediately implemented in clinicians’ practices. The Massachussetts General Hospital Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy reaches and improves the clinical practices of a broad base of front line mental health practitioners, including psychiatrists and therapists.