When living with a mental health problem it’s hard to know where you can turn to for help at times. The process can often be very overwhelming and sometimes triggering.
If you’ve been considering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy but aren’t sure if it’s the right course of action for you we’re here to help.
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a way of altering the way you think and behave with the help of talking therapy in order to help you manage problems. CBT is a combination of cognitive therapy, which examines the things you think, and behavioural theory, which examines your behaviours and how these two are linked.
This therapy is usually used to help treat mental health problems such as anxiety and depression that can lead to further mental and physical health problems. It teaches different coping skills to help deal with problems you might face and focuses on how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes can affect the way you feel and the actions (behaviours) you take on those.
CBT is a little different to usual therapy, it’s not talking about your past or things that might have triggered your mental health problems, it’s more based on talking about your future and present day, such as your goals, objectives or ambitions and what’s stopping you getting there.
CBT focuses on how your thoughts could be affecting your feelings and behaviours, to help teach you new coping skills to deal with situations that might be triggering. CBT aims to help you break down problems that may feel overwhelming so that they feel more manageable.
A CBT therapist can help you break out of the cycle of feeling that everything is your fault and the need to distance yourself from others, by delving into what sorts of situations are leading to these thoughts, feelings and actions.
They will help you to deal with the way you think, to try and avoid going into a negative spiral and how to react in relation to these thoughts when they arise. These changes will hopefully lead to an improvement in your feelings, mood and social life.
Is it right for you?
CBT can be helpful for nearly every diagnosis, it is very versatile and can be delivered through many different spaces such as one-on-one sessions, group sessions, self-help books or online.
You are able to choose which format works best for you and don’t have to put yourself in an uncomfortable situation. It is recommended that you have one or two sessions a week with your therapist, and between six and twelve sessions depending on your progress.
The best thing about CBT is that it can be carried out in a short period of time, but is extremely effective long term as you’re able to learn useful and applicable practical strategies that can be used everyday moving forward. It’s also based on the individual’s capacity to change themselves and requires work from you so that you aren’t relying on anyone else.
CBT is also offered in different adaptations to help with specific mental health problems and triggers, so that it can have a higher possibility of success.
However CBT isn’t for everyone, particularly if your mental health problems are complex or extremely triggering. It is also important for you to be proactive and often you will be set work to complete outside of the sessions to practise and utilise the skills you are taught in order to make a substantial difference.
It may not be able to delve deep enough into your wider problems such as families or traumas that have had a significant impact on you and have led you to your current mental state or struggles. But there are also lots of other options for help that might be better suited to you which you can find out from speaking to your GP.
