About Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: a type of talking therapy that helps you manage your problems by changing how you think and act.

Using CBT methods and tools, I can help you to:

- learn to recognise unhelpful thinking patterns

- recognise how your thoughts, feelings and behaviour are connected 

- face your fears, not avoid them

- learn ways to calm your mind and relax your body

- use problem-solving skills to cope with difficult situations

- gain a deeper understanding of how you think about yourself, the world and other people

- learning to develop a greater sense of confidence in your own abilities

Unlike other talking treatments, CBT focuses on the problems and difficulties you have in the here-and-now, rather than issues from your past. This doesn't mean we don't acknowledge your past, or any major life events: we need to understand them to explain why you might be having problems now. CBT helps you develop practical skills to improve your psychological on a day-to-day basis.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has a strong evidence base for a wide range of mental health problems in both adults, children and young people. This research has been carefully reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), who provide independent, evidence-based recommendations for the NHS on the most effective treatment options for ill health.

CBT can be effective for many common mental health problems including:

• Depression: chronic flat, low mood and a loss of interest and pleasure in life.
• Social Anxiety: a long-term fear of social situations and ultimately, of being judged negatively by other people.  
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) or excessive worry: always worrying, "What if" and feeling paralysed by a fear of the worst happening.
• Panic Disorder: sudden and intense feelings of fear, usually accompanied by strong physical sensations such as racing heart, dizziness, rapid breathing and racing thoughts.
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): lasting, uncontrollable and unwanted thoughts or images that keep returning, causing high levels of distress and anxiety. These thoughts are often accompanied by repetitive behaviours (compulsions) that you may feel driven to do to temporarily relieve the intrusive thoughts.
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): an anxiety disorder caused by very frightening and distressing traumatic events which are often relived through nightmares and flashbacks.
• Health Anxiety: when worries about the possibility of serious illness (such as cancer) take over, even when medical tests may rule everything out.
• Insomnia and sleep disorders.
• Phobias: strong anxiety responses to very specific stimuli such as animals, situations (e.g. flying, small spaces), natural environment (e.g. water, storms), blood and needles, or other triggers such as inanimate objects (e.g. textures, clowns).
• Eating Disorders: the control of food to cope with difficult emotions or situations. This can include: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). 
• Postpartum (and perinatal) depression & anxiety: this can occur any time during pregnancy, or within 12 months of giving birth. Typical symptoms might include feeling overwhelmed and not feeling bonded with your baby, or excessive anxious thoughts.
• Chronic ill health & pain: 30 to 40% of people living with a long-term physical health condition will also experience anxiety and depression. CBT can help you adapt to the inevitable changes that living with chronic illness brings including managing energy and fatigue and establishing helpful coping behaviours.

CBT is effective for a wide array of other problems and difficult emotions including:

• Low self-esteem
• Anger
• Impulse control
• Relationship and marriage problems
• Communication difficulties
• Coping with major life events and change
• Certain emotional and behavioural problems in children & young people

If you're in any doubt about the exact nature of your problems, please don't worry! Sometimes, we just know that something isn't right and we're not quite ourselves. My role is to help you make sense of it all. Just book a free  telephone consultation with me, and I can ask some questions to better understand the problems you're dealing with. We can also talk about what it is that you want to change or improve. Simply send me a message, and I'll get back in touch with you to find a good day and time to call.