Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Techniques and Academic Anxiety Reduction Among University Students in Imo State

This study examines the application of cognitive behavioural therapy techniques by university counsellors in reducing academic anxiety among undergraduate students at Imo State University, South East Nigeria. Academic anxiety, encompassing fear of failure, worry about examinations, and negative self-evaluation during academic tasks, is a significant but treatable condition that compromises student performance and psychological well-being. The study employs a quasi-experimental design, involving 80 undergraduate students with high academic anxiety scores randomly assigned to CBT-based counselling or a waitlist control condition. The Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Academic Anxiety Questionnaire were used as instruments. The CBT intervention comprised eight structured individual sessions addressing cognitive distortions, anxiety management techniques, and behavioural activation. Data were analysed using analysis of covariance and effect size calculations. Findings indicate that students who received CBT-based counselling demonstrated significantly lower anxiety scores and improved academic self-regulation compared to the waitlist group. Cognitive restructuring techniques, particularly challenging catastrophic thinking patterns about examination failure, produced the largest individual gains. Students also reported improved confidence in seeking academic support after the intervention. These results affirm the practical applicability of CBT within the Nigerian university counselling context. Imo State University's counselling centre is advised to incorporate structured CBT protocols into its service delivery model and to train counsellors in evidence-based anxiety interventions adapted for Nigerian student populations. Keywords: cognitive behavioural therapy, academic anxiety, university students, Imo State, counselling.