What is CBT?
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a practical and effective form of talking therapy that helps people better understand and manage their thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It is based on the idea that our thoughts, emotions and actions are interconnected and changing one can lead to changes in the others.
CBT is a collaborative therapy and works on the premise that both yourself and your therapist will explore the main presenting problems together and come up with a working conceptualisation that highlights what is maintaining the current difficulties and what evidence based techniques are required to help you to reach your goals.
CBT is recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to treat:
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Social Phobia
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Health Anxiety
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Depression
Specific Phobias
Regardless of how your current problem presents you will be given the opportunity to thoughtfully consider your specific goals for therapy. The work that you then proceed to engage in will be set up to help you develop the necessary coping strategies and practical skills to deal with the challenges you face.
The key is that CBT is a solution focused, time limited approach to helping you make positive differences in your life.
I do not have the ability to wave a magic wand and make everything instantly better, however if you are committed to the process and motivated to make changes, then this structured approach can empower you to take an active role in your mental health. You can learn to become your own therapist in the long term, maintaining progress you have made in the short term using the skills and techniques you acquire along the way to navigate through the challenges that life throws at you.
