Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a type of one-on-one therapy designed to break down overwhelming problems such as anxiety into the following five areas:
– Situations
– Thoughts
– Emotions
– Physical feelings
– Actions
Based on the conceptual belief that the five areas are all interconnected, CBT looks at how changing your thoughts about something can affect your emotional wellbeing and reactions to the situation and works to increase your self-confidence by promoting positivity and pragmatism.
How is CBT different?
Unlike many other psychotherapies, CBT is both highly pragmatic and highly structured, as specific problems are identified, talked about and solved rather than talking freely about your life. It’s also a collaborative therapy which is less focused on the past and more about present-day problems, with the goal to end negative thought cycles.
What are negative thought cycles and how does CBT combat them?
Sometimes, when life doesn’t go the way planned, we can become upset and blame ourselves for things that have happened. We can admit defeat, decide we’re unworthy and become depressed, anxious or even suicidal, which, in turn, creates more negative thoughts about how useless we are. This is a negative thought cycle, and CBT works towards helping you understand that sometimes bad things just happen, sometimes we make mistakes we can learn from, and sometimes we just need to move on. Encouraging you to become more optimistic about the situation and life in general by breaking down the things that trigger fear, anxiety or depression into manageable pieces to improve thought patterns more easily.
How many sessions will I need?
Most CBT sessions are around 50 minutes long, and most people have block bookings of 6-12 sessions. Usually, after your initial session, your therapist will determine whether it’s the right treatment for you and tell you how many session they think you should have.
The goal of CBT sessions are that you can overcome negative thought cycles on your own once the therapy is over, usually within your initial block of sessions, but your therapist will decide if they think you need more.
