Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a widely used, evidence-based form of therapy that focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviours that contribute to emotional distress. CBT is a practical, goal-oriented approach designed to help you manage anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental health challenges by developing healthier thinking and behaviour patterns. This therapy is effective for a range of emotional and psychological issues and empowers you to take control of your mental health.
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
At the heart of CBT is the understanding that your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours are interconnected. Negative or distorted thinking can lead to emotional distress, which often results in unhelpful behaviours that reinforce the negative cycle. CBT works by helping you identify these unhelpful thoughts and behaviours and replace them with more balanced, positive alternatives.
Through structured sessions, CBT teaches you how to challenge distorted thinking, reframe negative thoughts, and develop practical coping strategies for managing difficult emotions and situations.
For more information on the benefits of CBT, visit the NHS guide on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
How Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Works
CBT is a structured, collaborative process where we work together to identify the specific thoughts and behaviours that are contributing to your emotional difficulties. Once we identify these, the next step is to challenge and reframe them. We will also develop coping strategies and practical tools to help you manage difficult situations more effectively.
The core principles of CBT include:
- Identifying Negative Thought Patterns: Recognising the thoughts that lead to emotional distress.
- Cognitive Restructuring: Challenging and reframing these thoughts into more positive, realistic ones.
- Behavioural Activation: Developing healthy behaviours that support emotional well-being and break the cycle of negative reinforcement.
Benefits of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT is highly effective in treating a range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, stress, phobias, and PTSD. By learning to challenge and change distorted thinking, CBT helps you gain better control over your emotions, leading to improved mental health and well-being.
The benefits of CBT include:
- Reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression
- Improved problem-solving skills
- Better emotional regulation and coping mechanisms
- Greater resilience and confidence in managing life’s challenges
This therapy is practical and results-driven, making it an ideal choice for individuals seeking to address specific emotional or psychological challenges in a structured and goal-oriented way.
Why Choose Restorative Counselling for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
At Restorative Counselling, I offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help you address negative thought patterns and behaviours that may be impacting your emotional well-being. My approach is supportive and collaborative, guiding you through the process of challenging distorted thinking and developing healthy coping strategies. CBT provides you with practical tools to take control of your mental health and make lasting positive changes in your life.
If you’re ready to explore how CBT can help you improve your mental health, contact me today to schedule a consultation. Together, we can work towards creating healthier thoughts, behaviours, and emotional well-being.
FAQs
Counselling works best when you recognise that you’re struggling and can no longer continue as you are, and you want to make changes in your life but don’t know how. Sometimes, it may feel almost impossible to know what these changes should be. Often, the insights that arise are created during sessions through deep discussions and are developed between sessions.
Counselling can be challenging, as it may bring old memories, feelings, and past hurts to the surface. However, sharing these thoughts and feelings will give you a clearer understanding of why they still cause you pain, an ability to reduce that pain, and even help you find healing from those experiences.
I offer a Humanistic Integrative approach in a person-centred way. This means that we focus on you as an individual, working with your agenda, allowing you to explore those difficult memories and feelings. I use a combination of approaches to suit your individual needs because I believe one size does not fit all. We are all unique.
This is entirely up to you and something we can discuss during our initial consultation. Sometimes, starting with six sessions can be beneficial, and during these sessions, we can review whether you would like to continue or terminate them. Short-term counselling can be helpful during an immediate crisis to support you through it.
Long-term counselling allows for a deeper exploration of your problems, helping you understand how they affect you and where they stem from. We can start with weekly sessions and later move to fortnightly or every three weeks, depending on the situation and what would benefit you. Remember, this is your decision. At the end, we can have a final review and look at ways to help you move forward in your life, making the transition as safe and comfortable as possible.
Often, you will know when your counselling is nearing its end. You will feel more confident and at peace within yourself, and the memories will not cause you as much pain. You will be able to reflect on them in a way that no longer distresses you. We will discuss how you would like to conclude the counselling process.
We can have a final review a few weeks after counselling ends to see how you have been coping and how you’ve incorporated these changes into your daily life.
I currently charge £50 per session. I also offer concessions for those in need and will try to match your income, as I understand that affording regular counselling can be challenging.
For students studying for their Diploma or another qualification who need hours towards their personal counselling, I also offer a concession if needed.
Your first appointment may seem daunting, but it’s an opportunity for us to meet and get to know each other. We can then discuss how we can best work together and how I may be able to help you.
I also offer a free 20-minute phone call to briefly discuss the therapy and how we can begin.
