What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy which explores the link between thoughts, actions and feelings. Our negative thoughts about something cause us to act in a particular way, leading to us feeling a range of negative emotions; such as anxious, depressed, hurt, self-critical, angry, etc.
CBT is particularly helpful for individuals experiencing the following mental health challenges:
PTSD
OCD
Often we are unaware of what we are thinking, particularly in the humdrum of our day to day lives, when we are carrying out familiar routines, and interacting with familiar people. For many people because these thoughts go unnoticed, they become automatic - responses become habitual and predictable - negative emotions become bigger - and there comes a point where we find ourselves struggling to cope with what is going on.
This is where CBT can really help
By looking at your thought patterns and your behavioural responses to this, we can identify any unhelpful thoughts that might be keeping you stuck, and explore how you could reframe and change these. Similarly by looking at your current behaviours in response to your thoughts, we can gently explore and identify any that might be unhelpful, and create more helpful constructive ones.
CBT is a collaborative and structured therapy; this means that we work together, and apply the CBT framework to your unique and personal problems; in this way each session will be individually tailored and formatted so that it follows on from the session beforehand. This ensures that you as the client knows what is happening and why we are doing what we are doing.
CBT mainly focuses on what you are experiencing now, and does not dig around too much in the past – having said that it can be helpful for some clients to revisit experiences from the past that may be impacting on how they are feeling in the present.
This is YOUR therapy, and for you to use as you wish, with the aim of moving you forwards towards the life you want.
How is CBT different to other therapies?
CBT is different to other talking therapies in several ways.
- It tends to be short-term (average 8-16 sessions)
- It’s focused on specific problems rather than how you feel more generally
- The structured approach involving talking about your problems and setting goals for therapy, ensures that you are always moving in a forward direction.
- It’s much more about the present than about the past. You’ll look more at how you think and act now than about your past experiences.
- There will be "work" to do between sessions. This could be keeping a diary of your thoughts and feelings or practising the skills you’ve learned in therapy.
CBT can help you find coping strategies and techniques to address these challenges and regain control of your life.
