Cognitive behavioural therapy

What is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)?

Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT for short, links what we think (cognitive) with how we feel and subsequently act (behavioural). It therefore focuses on understanding and working with unhelpful thinking patterns as well as unhelpful behaviours we engage in. CBT has adapted into numerous ‘third wave’ therapies, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). These therapies partly also have a greater focus on emotions as well as interpersonal relationships. This form of therapy is most often shorter-term (up to 6 months) and is often, though not always, focused on a particular goal or specific problem.

What to expect

In CBT we will spend some time examining your thoughts and beliefs about yourself, others and the world around you. We will explore how your thoughts link with your emotions, embodied experience and the behaviours you engage in. This will sometimes involve me giving you ‘homework’, to try to apply certain techniques at home in the week in between our sessions. Techniques may involve, for example, noting and logging your thoughts and behaviours, mindfulness exercises as well as gradual exposure to situations and environments which you would like to engage in, but which cause you discomfort and anxiety.