CBT is a talking therapy which works on changing unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours. CBT helps you to learn more helpful ways of thinking and reacting to everyday situations which can lead to improved mood.
At Turning Tides Psychology, we offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for several different mental health difficulties. CBT is focused on problems in the present rather than working through events from the past. It is goal-orientated and problem-specific.
The C in CBT stands for Cognitive (the way we think), the B stands for Behavioural (what we do) and the T stands for Therapy (what we learn).
CBT helps people to understand thoughts, feelings and behaviours are all linked. It works on the theory that a change in one of these areas will lead to a change in them all.
For example, if a depressed person has the thought ‘I can’t do anything right’ this may lead them to feel low in mood and their behaviour may be avoidant of doing anything. This may further maintain the thought ‘I can’t do anything right’.
In CBT the psychologist will work with the person to challenge their unhelpful thinking by looking at evidence for and against the thought. This is called thought challenging. The types of questions asked may be:
The psychologist might also implement activity scheduling. This involves looking at current activity levels and scheduling more activities which boost mood.
CBT is an active process where you learn new skills and undertake homework tasks to try them out. Therapy is a place where new learning occurs which you can take forward into your life to bring about change.
Dr Alicia Brown (Clinical Psychologist) reports that:
‘CBT is a highly effective therapy because it helps break down overwhelming problems into smaller parts in a systematic way. I often find people like this approach for the structure it provides which can feel more containing than other types of therapy.
It also teaches the client coping skills so that they can feel empowered in the process and learn how to become their own therapist over time.
CBT is useful for a wide range of mental health problems including:
CBT is a highly effective therapy for anxiety. It combines the cognitive and behavioural components to bring about change. CBT for anxiety involves going into feared situations and testing out whether the predictions about these situations are true.
This process gives the individual the chance to re-evaluate their thoughts on anxiety-provoking situations and approach future situations with more realistic expectations.
A common technique used in CBT for anxiety is graded exposure. This is where a feared hierarchy ladder is constructed to determine what is the highest fear on the ladder to the lowest fear. The individual is taught ways to manage their anxiety with the psychologist’s help and starts to work their way up the fear ladder step by step.
The aim is for the client to be exposed to a situation which is moderately anxiety-provoking but which they can manage by using their coping skills. Once they have mastered one step, they feel more confident to move on to the next step of the ladder. This process continues until they reach the top.
This can be particularly helpful with phobias. For example, if someone is anxious about spiders, they may start with just looking at pictures of spiders. Once they feel they can cope with this they move on to the next step which may be watching videos of spiders. This continues until the person has reached their goal which may be being able to be in the same room as a spider.
CBT uses various techniques to help clients change their thought patterns and behaviours which include:
This involves replacing negative thoughts with more positive or realistic thoughts
Cognitive restructuring -This involves gradually exposing someone to a situation or object which might trigger anxiety
Graded exposure -This involves helping people to increase the amount of activities which improve their mood
Behavioural activation -This involves teaching clients ways to reduce their stress and anxiety such as breathing techniques
Relaxation techniques -Benefits of CBT include:
The first step to having CBT is to book an appointment for an assessment. During the first assessment session, your psychologist might ask you questions related to:
Your psychologist will then have a better understanding of the problem, and they will help you choose a goal. They will then help you understand your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours around this problem.
From there you will work on cognitive and behavioural strategies to bring about change. Over time the new ways of thinking and behaving lead to changes to how the person is feeling.
CBT is one of the most widely researched talking therapies. It has a vast evidence base which proves it to be effective for treating a range of mental health conditions including anxiety and depression. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends CBT as a first-line treatment for anxiety, depression, phobias and OCD.
Before starting CBT, it is important to consider the following:
CBT has a set structure which is used to format sessions. Often lots of materials are used to facilitate the session such as worksheets and drawing things out. If structure is helpful for you then CBT will probably be a good fit.
CBT is structured -Homework is also a key component in CBT. There is an expectation that work will be done between sessions to help you move towards your goals. Sometimes this can be completing worksheets or at other times it might involve having to do certain activities.
CBT involves homework -CBT is primarily focused on the here and now to bring about change. If the past is something that you feel you would like to work through, a different therapy may be more appropriate for you, such as CFT or EMDR.
CBT is focused on the present - Compassion Focused TherapyAt Turning Tides, our team of Psychologists are highly trained and have many years of experience using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help with a range of different mental health difficulties. Therapy aims to provide you with the tools you need to be able to manage your mental health independently.
We offer regular face-to-face appointments at our modern and comfortable clinic in Hoult’s Yard, Newcastle or we can offer online therapy via Zoom if you live further afield or have a preference for online sessions.
A psychologist will then be in touch to arrange a free 15-minute no-obligation call, where we can discuss your requirements in more detail and you can get a feel for whether Turning Tides is the right psychology practice for you.
If we’re not right for you, we’ll try and signpost you to somewhere that is.
Please note – Turning Tides is not a crisis service, and if you feel you need urgent support or are experiencing a mental health crisis then it is important that you contact your GP if they are available, or attend A&E.