I suppose any therapist could call themselves a CBT therapist, but unless they've had specific and intense training in CBT techniques, they won't get it right. CBT is hard work, not just for the patient, but for the therapist, too.

In my opinion, and I could be wrong, therapists untrained in CBT have been latching onto the label because there's usually no trouble getting medical insurance to pay for CBT because it's evidence-based and is one of the few therapies that has been demonstrated to bring about improvements that can be measured.

I also know some HMOs and hospitals run CBT groups led by nurses who were sent to a few workshops. I would call that Intro To CBT, but not actual therapy. (No disrespect to nurses. They just have different training.)

But if a therapist isn't specifically trained in CBT techniques they are not a CBT therapist. In fact, I know CBT therapists whose hackles raise when people say it's all about positive thinking. Positive thinking can actually be a cognitive distortion -- minimization of a real problem. No CBT therapist worth their salt would advocate it.