Cognitive Behavioural Counselling

You may have heard the term CBT; it is short for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. In recent years it has been one of the more widely used forms of therapy in the UK. This is mainly due to CBT being an intervention that utilises scoring and lending itself to being measurable.

What is CBT?

CBT is a talking therapy that examines the way you think (cognition) in relation to the way you behave. The main idea within a CBT approach is that the way we think influences the way we perceive and in turn affects the emotions that we feel and the resulting mood. This internal chain of events then prescribes our responding behaviour. This is a circular pattern with our avoidant or self-harming behaviour feeding into negative thoughts and perceptions that influence our emotions and round and round it goes. CBT would hope to interrupt this vicious circle by challenging the negative thinking via the use of facts and logic to enable a more rational, positive set of thoughts that can influence feelings in a more positive way and lift the resulting mood leaving no need for the destructive or avoidant behaviours.

CBT concentrates on the ‘here and now’ of human experience and what is observable. There is much less focus on past experiences than other therapies. A CBT approach would reflect upon the past to consider where ‘negative patterns of thought’ may have come from.

How does CBT work?

CBT can help to examine behaviour by breaking down problems into smaller parts, usually consisting of;

·       A difficult situation, followed by

·       Thoughts

·       Emotions

·       Physical feelings

·       Behaviour or actions

All of these parts can affect the others and by identifying unhelpful ways of reacting, these can be eradicated.

When Does CBT Help?

CBT is used widely in NHS settings and is seen as a structured short term fix for many different types of issues. However it is most useful in the treatment of emotional distress that is showing itself through unhelpful behaviours: OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Phobias, Eating Disorders, and Addictions etc.

CBT is not effective for everyone as the individual must be committed to examine themselves and challenge their ‘negative thinking’ and there can be ‘homework’ involved and regular paperwork to mark progress.

If you want to explore this form of therapy we can offer it for Individuals, Couples and Family Counselling.