CBT combines cognitive therapy-which teaches how certain patterns causes symptoms – and behavioural therapy- which focuses on behaviours and the thoughts and feelings that might be causing them. It can be used to treat a variety of psychological problems and works especially well when dealing with depression and anxiety.
CBT emphasises the need to examine your thoughts and beliefs and helps you to explore how these are connected to your moods, physical experience, behaviour and events in your life: in other words your perception of an experience and how that has an impact on the outcome.
CBT can assist in unearthing those core beliefs and help to challenge distorted thoughts and rapidly reduce the effects of behaviour problems such phobias, stress, eating disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorders. It can help with chronic anxiety, substance misuse, relationship issues, depression and mood swings, sleep disturbances, social anxiety, panic attacks and self esteem.
I have started to include CBT in my work in combination with my other training as I find it particularly useful when exploring issues around confidence and self esteem. I find that along with looking at and exploring and coming to terms with issues stemming from childhood, it is a supportive and practical way of dealing with painful experiences.
CBT can help you to understand the relationships between your thought and feelings and your behaviour. It will help you to put things into perspective and it will help you to identify patterns of behaviour and then begin to think how you could do things differently.
I completed a seven day course “CBT with heart” with Dr. Adrian Hemmings at the Wimbledon guild. The course was designed and aimed at counsellors and psychotherapists who have an interest in extending their range and practice. This allows me to practice a CBA approach whilst respecting my own practice.