“It’s the small steps we take that help us achieve our long term goals.”
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT as it is more commonly referred to, is a specialised form of talking therapy designed to help people, explore and understand why they may THINK, FEEL and RESPOND differently in certain situations.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend CBT as a quality and effective ‘evidenced based psychological intervention’ to be used for the treatment of both depressive and anxiety disorders.
Why should I consider CBT as a therapy?
There is supporting evidence from NICE which suggests, children and young people equally benefit from this specialised psychological treatment as well as adults. It is something that can be adapted to meet the individual’s needs, regardless of age.
It is a very simple and effective technique that highlights the connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. When we are involved in any situations where we perceive there to be a threat, it is more than likely that because of this situation our level of anxiety will increase. As our anxiety increases, very often, so do our feelings of discomfort and the unhelpful thoughts.
By the time we respond to the situation, it is often in a negative manor that results in the problem only spiralling, becoming greater and out of control. Recognising the difficulty at the earliest stage acts as a warning, raising the alarm that if we do not consider a change of thought process or behaviour then this will only escalate further into feeling helpless.
Working together ‘as a team’, the therapist’s role is to encourage the client to work through the problem areas taking into consideration of how they might be currently thinking, feeling and responding in difficult situations. This technique is known as ‘Guided Discovery’, one of the many techniques used in CBT to reinforce a clients new found knowledge and understanding, enabling them to feel empowered and take the steps in between therapy sessions to achieving their goal.