How is CBT different to other therapies?

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is symptom focussed and concentrates on the here and now.

It is a collaborative relationship, where the patient and therapist develop a shared understanding of the problem.

The aims of CBT are to teach the client to become their own therapist.

You the client are actively involved in the process and will learn skills and techniques that you can put into practice.

In between session tasks are an integral part of the CBT process and will be given at the end of each session to facilitate ongoing learning outside the therapy.

The focus is in the present and your current difficulty, although some questions about past experiences maybe asked, this will only be to put present emotional responses into a historical context to help you understand your current thoughts and behaviour.

Treatment length is traditionally much shorter than other “talking therapies” depending on the individual problem and can be anything from 6 – 20 sessions.

Most people report notable change within the first 6 sessions. I offer a review at session 6 to make sure your therapy is moving in the right direction for you.

Some examples of the relationship between thought feeling and behaviour

As you can see from the above examples our thoughts are influencing our perception of our experiences all the time. These are examples of how negative thoughts can cloud your perception and just because you think it does not make it true.

Sometimes life situations can be hard and if you are someone who interprets things negatively this can and does have an impact on the coping strategies you use and and how you cope with these situations.

CBT is not just positive thinking

CBT is a process that enables you to learn how to think and behave differently using realistic and balanced thinking.  CBT allows you to be open to new  experiences rather than being locked into old thoughts and behaviour patterns.