Abstract
In the last ten years Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) has become the primary treatment option for many mental health disorders. This article presents a literature review to 1) discover why CBT dominates mental health services; 2) explore why the therapy is contentious. This latter point is addressed by considering the current anomalies and oversights of CBT. These are a) the value of cognitive interventions and b) the therapeutic context. The aim of the review is to highlight what practitioners and service providers many need to be mindful of when using CBT. Findings and implications for research and practice are discussed.