This blog tries to help you decide if Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) could be right for you. In the previous posts I have asked you to think about what you want from therapy, if the CBT model makes sense to you and described the main elements of the CBT structure. Finally, we’ll consider the evidence of what works for different problems. CBT has an impressive evidence base for being effective. NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) therefore recommends CBT as the main, or one of the main, therapeutic approaches for anxiety disorders and depression. It has also been recognised tha ..read more

To consider if Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) right for you we have talked about what you want from therapy and if the CBT model makes sense to you. In this post we’ll look at the characteristics of CBT. 3. Does the CBT structure suit you? As described in the posts below CBT is goal and change focussed. In order to make progress in this way we use a certain structure. Rather than the therapist being the expert who can ‘fix’ things for you, we work together on the problem. You bring your knowledge of yourself and your life; we bring our knowledge and experience of CBT. Therapy is time limite ..read more

I have suggested that there are four aspects to consider when trying to decide if Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) would be suitable for you. Having thought about what you want to get from therapy we’ll now move on to the CBT approach. 2. Does the CBT model make sense to you? Broadly speaking we understand our experience as relating to the following aspects: – Our thoughts and beliefs (or cognitions): This is what is in our mind and we may or may not be aware of this at any given time. – Our feelings or emotions: usually these can be described in one word like happy, sad, angry, anxious, upse ..read more

CBT has received a lot of publicity over the past few years. Sometimes it appears to be hailed as the solution for psychological difficulties. Nevertheless, CBT will not suit everyone and at all times. So how can you know if it is the right therapeutic approach for you? There are four aspects which might be useful to consider and I will look at each of those in my coming posts: What you are hoping to get from therapy? Does the CBT model make sense to you? Does the CBT structure suit you? and – What problem/s are you experiencing? To start with I would like you to think about: What ..read more