What is CBT?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a deceptively simple yet nuanced approach to understanding and changing how you think feel and behave.

Cognitive behavioural therapy argues that thoughts, feelings and embodied behaviours are all interlinked. If one of these areas is out of balance with the others, we can get caught up in self sustaining loops or “vicious cycles” of depression, anxiety or other mental health problems.

However, we can learn to make sense of these feedback loops and what sustains them, and then make changes which in turn generates new feedback loops and “helpful cycles” of engagement, enjoyment and enlivenment.

CBT is very much an action-based, collaborative approach which relies on you setting goals, acquiring new skills and testing them out in the laboratory of your day-to-day life.

There is considerable scientific evidence to show that CBT can be helpful for depression, anxiety, anger, trauma and many other mental health issues. My CBT training and post-qualifying work has equipped me to work with most mental health presentations except psychosis and schizophrenia.

CBT can be present-focused, goal oriented, and problem-centred, or we can explore your past in some detail and depth using narrative CBT depending on what you feel you need.

I trained in CBT at Exeter University and have had extensive post-qualifying training via Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre.

CBT is recommended for many anxiety and depression related issues by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), and is considered to be the “gold standard” for NHS therapy.

CBT is ideal for people wanting a problem-focused, short term, practical “dose” of therapy. Many men find CBT helpful due to its structured, outward, action-focus.

OTHER THERAPIES OFFERED:

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy - ACT
Compassion Focused Therapy - CFT
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy - MBCT
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction - MBSR
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing - EMDR