When cognitive behaviour therapy emerged in 1950s, driven by the work of Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck, basic behaviour principles were largely sidelined in clinical psychology curricula. This work offers practicing clinicians a practical introduction to the basics of modern behavioural psychology.

The book focuses both on the classical principles of learning as well as more recent developments that explain language and cognition in behavioural and contextual terms. Practical and easy to read, the book walks clinicians through both common sense and clinical examples that help them learn to use behavioural principles to observe, explain, and influence behaviour in a therapeutic setting.