WHAT IS CBT?
CBT means Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. The cognitive part refers to “thoughts – the way we think” and behaviour part refers to “the way in which we respond to things”. There is a notion the way we feel, behave think and feel are all related to each other. CBT helps to respond to situations in more effective ways and helps modify unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours that are maintaining the difficulties.
CBT is recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) for the treatment of the following:
- Depression (including low self-esteem)
- Panic (with/without Agoraphobia)
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder
- Social Anxiety
- Health Anxiety
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Post -Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Psychological Treatment of certain Long Term Conditions
Working together to achieve goals:
The relationship with your therapist is collaborative in nature which means we set goals that are meaningful to you and work together to identify the problem and look at what keeps it going. CBT is a “here and now” approach where the focus is on current concerns. We will also touch upon past experiences and how that has shaped your view of the world/others now.
In-Between Sessions:
Therapy is structured and involves doing in between session tasks or “homework” (these are set together) so that learning from the session can be applied to the “real world”. Imagine being a scientist and experimenting with new ways of thinking and behaving to see how it works for you and whether it develops an improved sense of self and belief.
Maintaining progress:
Final sessions will focus on relapse prevention which looks at how you will maintain progress long term and identify what are the “warning signs or red flags” that indicate you may be feeling distressed again.