What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a combination of psychotherapy and behavioural therapy that aims to change patterns of thinking or behaviour that are behind people’s difficulties to change the way they feel. Unlike many others, this short-term talking therapy looks for ways to improve the state of mind now, by focusing on the “here and now” problems and difficulties rather than the events that happened in the past.

What are the benefits of using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can be extremely effective for those suffering from the following symptoms:

• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Anger and pain
• Child problems
• Depression
• Social problems
• Eating, drink and drug problems
• Schizophrenia
• Post traumatic stress disorder
• Sexual and relationship difficulties
• Sleeping problems
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Phobias

CBT does not claim to be able to cure all of the above problems such as chronic pain, but find new ways of coping while living with the disorders. It is as effective as antidepressants for many forms of depression and may even be slightly more effective than antidepressants in treating anxiety. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends CBT via the NHS for common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety.

How does Cognitive Behavioural Therapy work?

The objective of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is to change the way the mind reacts to overwhelming problems by altering your perception of yourself, the world and other people. There are helpful and unhelpful ways of reacting to most situations; it just depends on how you think of them. CBT aims to get you to question a self-critical or upsetting thought and replace it with a positive (and more realistic) one.

A CBT session can be conducted individually, in a small group, from a self-help book or computer programme. Two computer-based programmes have been approved for use by the NHS in England and Wales.

There are usually between five and 20 sessions that are conducted every week or fortnight, although the therapist will check whether this sort of treatment is suitable for the beneficiary during the first two to four sessions. Each session lasts for between 30 and 60 minutes. During the first encounter, the therapist will allow the beneficiary to decide what issues they would like to address, and in what order. Although CBT concentrates on today’s issues, there may be times when the past will need to be discussed in order to understand how it is affecting you now.

During the course, the therapist will recommend “homework (changes)” that should be practiced in everyday life.  It may be useful to keep a diary to help identify patterns of thoughts, emotions, bodily feelings and actions. Treatments will usually last between six weeks and six months, depending on whether the issues have been properly addressed and the length between treatments. In some cases, there may be a waiting list.

The history of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

In the 1960s, US psychiatrist and psychotherapist Aaron T. Beck found that his patients tended to have an 'internal dialogue' going on in their minds, almost as if they were talking to themselves. But they would only report a fraction of this kind of thinking to him. If a person was feeling upset in some way, the thoughts were usually negative and neither realistic nor helpful. Beck realised the importance of identifying the link between thoughts and feelings, which people weren't always fully aware of, so that the client could understand and overcome their difficulties.

How much does a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy session cost?

The cost of an hourly CBT session fluctuates according to location and experience of the therapist, so prices can typically vary from £40 to around £160.