Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave.

How it works

CBT is based on the concept that your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are interconnected, and that negative thoughts and feelings can trap you in a negative cycle.

CBT aims to help you deal with overwhelming problems in a more positive way by breaking them down into smaller parts.

You're shown how to change these negative patterns to improve the way you feel.

Unlike some other talking treatments, CBT deals with your current problems, rather than focusing on issues from your past (unless we need to and it is relevant to what you are experiencing).

It looks for practical ways to improve your state of mind on a daily basis.

Uses for CBT

CBT has been shown to be an effective way of treating a number of different mental health conditions.

 

Anxiety disorders such as:

  • Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Social Anxiety
  • Fears and Phobias
  • Panic
  • Stress

Trauma-related disorders such as:

  • PTSD
  • Adjustment Disorders

As well as:

  • Depression
  • Eating Disorders
  • Low Self Esteem and confidence
  • Addictions

What happens during CBT sessions

AIf CBT is recommended, you'll usually have a session with a therapist once a week or once every 2 weeks.

The course of treatment usually lasts for between 6 and 20 sessions, with each session lasting 30 to 60 minutes.

During the sessions, you'll work with your therapist to break down your problems into their separate parts, such as your thoughts, physical feelings and actions.

You and your therapist will analyse these areas to work out if they're unrealistic or unhelpful, and to determine the effect they have on each other and on you.

Your therapist will then be able to help you work out how to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours.

After working out what you can change, your therapist will ask you to practise these changes in your daily life and you'll discuss how you got on during the next session.

The eventual aim of therapy is to teach you to apply the skills you have learnt during treatment to your daily life.

This should help you manage your problems and stop them having a negative impact on your life, even after your course of treatment finishes.

How CBT is different

CBT differs from many other psychotherapies because it's:

  • pragmatic – it helps identify specific problems and tries to solve them

 

  • highly structured – rather than talking freely about your life, you and your therapist discuss specific problems and set goals for you to achieve

 

  • focused on current problems – it's mainly concerned with how you think and act now rather than attempting to resolve past issues

 

  • collaborative – your therapist will not tell you what to do; they'll work with you to find solutions to your current difficulties

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