What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?

CBT is practical, solution-focused therapy which helps and empowers people to overcome a range of difficulties including:

  • Depression
  • Low self-esteem
  • Anxiety/Stress management
  • Phobias
  • Panic
  • Trauma (including Post Traumatic Stress.)
  • Worrying
  • Management of chronic fatigue/pain

CBT works by helping you to recognise and challenge unhelpful thoughts and behaviours which influence the way you feel. It may involve developing  skills in practising self-compassion, relaxation, problem solving and many more. Online therapy means that psychological support easily accessible and you can talk face-to-face with your therapist from the comfort and privacy of your own home. Finally, the collaborative nature of CBT means that you and your therapist work as a team to explore and find solutions to problems in an open and non-judgemental way.

What is it not?

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CBT is perhaps little different to what you might expect when you think of “therapy” (see the picture of the old-school psychoanalysis!) In CBT, the therapist and client work as a team to identifying the underlying issues and find solutions to the problems. CBT Therapists tend to work very openly, meaning if they have ideas or theories about what’s keeping problems going, they may mention these. CBT also tends to be more of a “present-focused” therapy, meaning that we work on the problems in the here and now. Of course it can be important to take a history to establish how problems developed but the majority of the therapy focuses on finding ways to move forwards.

To learn more about CBT, this clip is from the charity Mind who have developed this animation so you know what to expect:

More information about CBT can be found at the Mind website: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/about-cbt/

Or the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/