Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps you to make connections between your thinking, emotion and your coping behaviours. However, cognitive therapy should not be only about your thinking but should also include support to help you develop new and more effective emotional coping strategies. It tends to be a short term therapy but does not have to be.
In fact you can see a therapist for a longer period of time in order to better understand your core beliefs and how these impact on your thoughts, emotions and coping. We have both positive and negative core beliefs that can form over our early life experience and effect our coping in the here and now. It is sometimes important to understand our history and how we gained such beliefs and better understand the assumptions we make about ourselves, others and the future. But we can develop new, more adaptive ways of seeing ourselves, the word, and others and thus means that we can learn new rules for living that can free us up and help us to live a more fulfilled life.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a collaborative process. You and Bryan will work together to assess and understand your specific needs. Together you will agree a treatment process that may last between 8 to 20 weeks. The length of treatment depends on why you are coming to therapy and what therapy you have previously engaged in.
A session will last 50 minutes
Some people like CBT because it is structured and tends to focus on current needs. This means that you may not necessarily need to discuss your personal history in-depth. However, it can be important to account for early life experience and therefore you and your therapist may wish to discuss this further (for example if you are working in core beliefs).
There are ‘specialist’ forms of CBT and this includes Trauma focused CBT. Bryan is trained and qualified to provide this treatment also. However, if you are seeking therapy for PTSD or trauma experiences then you may also benefit from EMDR.
Third Wave CBT can also include other therapies such as mindfulness and compassionate mind and these treatment approaches also support one to cope more effectively with emotions.
CBT is a talking therapy. It has been sown to be effective with a wide number of psychological and mental health related needs.
It is a collaborative approach as both the client and therapist work together to firstly understand presenting needs and then find solutions to support and help the person to recover.
More often than not, we think, feel and react to situations in a particular way. Our thoughts, emotions and behaviour are related to our experiences in childhood, life experience and the circumstances that we live in (life events etc).
Find out more about:
What does CBT Involve?
What does CBT Involve?
Client and therapist work together to find links and patterns that connect thinking, feeling and behaviour and then relate this to how the client is presently coping with life.
Together they will develop a shared understanding of how these needs came about and what keeps these going (we call this a formulation). The focus in therapy can be here and now but you may also reflect on past life experience.
The client and Therapist then work together to identify goals that can be focused upon during the course of therapy. The overall aim of CBT is to learn more helpful ways of relating to our experiences and develop new or enhanced ways of coping for the future.
What is expected of me?
What is expected of me?
You may be asked to complete tasks between sessions and these are important as they will assist you to use the time with your therapist well. You will be able to put into practice the things that you have talked about in therapy.
How long does therapy last?
How long does therapy last?
CBT is often delivered over 10 to 20 sessions but this may be shorter or longer. Sessions are weekly but may get less frequent as therapy progresses.
What can CBT help with?
What can CBT help with?
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended CBT for:
- Anxiety and phobias
- Panic attacks
- Agoraphobia
- Obsessive compulsive needs
- Depression
- Bi-poloar
- Hearing Voices
- Paranoia
- Body dysmorphic needs
- Chronic fatigue
There is some evidence that CBT can help with sleep problems, sexual and relationship needs and coping with chronic pain.
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