Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT Therapy
CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It is a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps people understand the links between thoughts, feelings, body sensations and behaviour.
When people are anxious, low, stressed or overwhelmed, it is common to get caught in patterns that are difficult to step out of. CBT helps identify these patterns and develop practical ways to respond differently.
CBT can be helpful for adults, children and young people where clinically appropriate. It may be offered as a focused therapy in its own right, or integrated with other psychological approaches depending on the person’s needs.
What We Offer
- Assessment and shared understanding of the difficulty
- Support to identify patterns in thoughts, feelings and behaviour
- Practical strategies to manage anxiety, low mood, stress or worry
- Support with avoidance, safety behaviours or unhelpful coping patterns
- Work around self-esteem, confidence and self-criticism
- Support with emotional regulation and problem-solving
- Psychoeducation about how difficulties develop and are maintained
- Between-session tasks or practice where helpful
- CBT for adults, children or young people where clinically appropriate
- Integration with wider psychological therapy where needed
CBT can be structured and goal-focused, but it should still feel collaborative, thoughtful and tailored to the person.
Difficulties CBT May Support
- Anxiety
- Low mood or depression
- Worry and overthinking
- Panic
- Stress
- Phobias and fears
- OCD-related difficulties
- Low self-esteem
- Self-criticism
- Avoidance
- Perfectionism
- Anger or frustration
- Emotional regulation difficulties
- Sleep-related difficulties
- Confidence and motivation
- Coping with life transitions or change
CBT is not the right fit for everyone. Some people benefit from a more exploratory, trauma-informed, relational or integrative approach. We will discuss what feels most suitable during assessment and therapy planning.
Our Approach
We do not use CBT as a one-size-fits-all manual. Instead, we work with you to understand what is happening, what may have contributed to the difficulty, what may be keeping it going, and what kind of support may be most useful.
CBT often involves looking at the links between:
- Thoughts
- Feelings
- Body sensations
- Behaviour
- Triggers
- Coping strategies
- Avoidance or safety behaviours
- Beliefs about yourself, others or the world
The aim is to help you notice patterns, develop new strategies and test out different ways of responding in everyday life.
For children and young people, CBT may be adapted to be more visual, creative, practical and developmentally appropriate. Parent or carer involvement may also be helpful depending on the child’s age and needs.
