The Indian Association for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (IACBT) was formally registered as a society in January 2016. It was born out of the vision and efforts of many like-minded people, particularly Dr. Nimisha Kumar, its Founder President. Dr. Kumar had formally been trained in CBT in the UK and was established as a CBT therapist and trainer in Delhi.

In March 2015, Dr. Kumar organized the first ever CBT conference in India – the International Conference on Cognitive Behavioral Interventions (ICCBI) at the AIIMS, New Delhi, in collaboration with the Dept. of Clinical Psychology headed by Prof. (Dr.) Manju Mehta. The Conference was extremely successful and the idea of IACBT was formally floated and inaugurated during the Conference.

Dr. Lata McGinn, a New York based licensed Clinical Psychologist and CBT therapist and then the President of the International Association for Cognitive Therapy (IACP) provided her expert guidance and support in establishing the IACBT. A draft of the memorandum and rules was circulated among like-minded during the ICCBI 2015 and with the signatures of ten founder members, the foundation for the IACBT was established.