The talking therapy I will mainly use when helping to support you is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, sometimes called CBT for short. This is a broad term that includes many different therapy modes, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion Focussed Therapy, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy to name a few. I find it a helpful model of therapy to help understand patterns of thoughts and behaviours, and can lead to a sense of ‘it makes sense that you feel this way‘, along with a clear pathway to try and make things feel a little easier.

CBT is based on the idea that it is not necessarily what happens to us that determines how we feel, but how we think about what has happened to us, that is important in determining how we experience something. It is also based on the fact that we tend get into habits about how we think and behave in certain situations. These habits can lead us into having repeatedly negative feelings and experiences in certain situations.

CBT therapy usually lasts on average between 6-20 sessions, although this is always worked out together, depending on what the you want to achieve from meeting together.

CBT is a well researched and evidence based treatment for anxiety and depression, along with other disorders, and is recognised in guidelines produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (www.nice.org.uk). NICE is an independent body developing national guidance on the appropriate treatment and care of people with specific diseases and conditions in the NHS in England and Wales.