Final answer:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapeutic approach that aims to change maladaptive thought patterns and behaviors to improve an individual's functioning and well-being in clinical psychology.
Step-by-step explanation:
The use of psychological techniques to modify maladaptive behaviors or thought patterns, or both, and to help patients develop insight into their own behavior, is known as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT takes into account cognitive processes and behaviors when providing psychotherapy. Within the clinical psychology area, it focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and problematic patterns of behavior. Cognitive psychology, which studies thoughts and their relationship to experiences and actions, also informs the practice of CBT. In the context of psychotherapy, it uses structured and directive approaches to help individuals challenge and modify unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors, thereby improving their emotional regulation and developing personal coping strategies that target solving current problems.