What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
A brief introduction
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What is CBT?
CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and it’s a type of talking therapy that helps to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. It’s a frequently used treatment for a range of mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, and long-term pain. CBT focuses on the connection between how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and behaviours. Therapists help you to understand patterns that may be maintaining the difficulties you’re experiencing.
How does CBT work?
CBT teaches healthy coping skills for different problems. For example, a student might think, “I’m going to embarrass myself”, before giving a presentation. This thought can cause them to feel anxious and experience physical symptoms, such as sweating or shaking. They might then worry that others will notice these symptoms, making them feel even more anxious. As a result, the student might decide to avoid presentations in the future. Even though this decision might temporarily ease their anxiety, avoiding presentations can maintain this fear over time. CBT helps the student to break this cycle by suggesting new ways to think about presentations and respond differently. Over time, this can help to reduce their anxiety and build confidence.
What happens in a CBT session?
The type of CBT session you have depends on your specific problem and symptoms, so it doesn’t look the same for everyone. It can either be a guided self-help, such a workbook or online course with the therapist, 1-to-1 session, or as part of a group. CBT involves between 5 and 15 sessions, but this can vary.
Since the aim of CBT is to make changes to solve the problems you’re experiencing, the sessions involve talking about situations you’re struggling with and discussing how they make you feel, think and behave. With the therapist, you’ll work together to set goals and practice new strategies, such as taking part in activities you’ve been avoiding. You’ll also be asked to work between sessions, such as filling in worksheets or keeping a diary.
CBT for children and adolescents is slightly different, since it needs to be adapted to their age. It may be helpful to have a parent involved, so they can support their child outside of sessions, which could lead to a more positive outcome, in some cases. Even though all CBT sessions are tailored individually, for younger children it takes more effort for them to engage. Therefore, the sessions may be more playful and creative, such as talking while playing toys or drawing.
Who can CBT help?
CBT is known as a treatment for many mental health problems and experiences. This can include:
- Anxiety and Panic attacks
- Phobias
- Eating disorder, including Anorexia and Bulimia
- Personality disorders
- Sleep problems, such as insomnia
- Problems with alcohol or drugs
- Schizophrenia, including schizoaffective disorder
- Stress
Could CBT be right for you/your child?
CBT is more than just “thinking positively”. Instead, it can help people to understand the connections between thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and finding useful strategies to break that unhealthy cycle. However, CBT is only one of the methods psychologists can use when working with children and adolescents. Psychologists might also use systematic, narrative or integrative therapy, depending on the child’s developmental stage, specific needs, and age. Playing, painting, or working with parents through parent consultations can all be part of therapy for younger children. Direct talking therapy can be more beneficial for older children and adolescents. A qualified professional can assist you in determining what kind of support may be the most appropriate, if you’re thinking about whether CBT could be right for you or your child.
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