Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on how the way we think
and behave affects the way we feel.
Imagine you have an important online meeting and just before you are due to join, your internet connection drops. How would you respond?
Here are examples of two different responses:
Response 1:
THOUGHTS
This is a disaster! I'm going to look so unprofessional. The internet dropping will sound like an excuse. My team will think I'm just not prepared. Everything always goes wrong for me!
BEHAVIOUR
EMOTIONS
PHYSICAL
Rush around, cursing. Try to restart computer, restart the router and phone IT support at the same time. Snap at the technician on the
phone.
Stress, anger, frustration, impatience, panic.
Feel hot, increased heart rate, sweating, knot in stomach, faster breathing, tension in shoulders and jaw.
Response 2:
THOUGHTS
BEHAVIOUR
EMOTIONS
PHYSICAL
That's odd. I hope I can get it fixed in time.
These things happen. I'm sure they will understand. I can send my contribution by email when the connection is back.
Try reconnecting. Look into dialling in as another option.
Contact a colleague to let them know about the situation. Make cup of tea while waiting to see is the connection returns.
Mild annoyance, calm.
No noticeable changes
Learn The Skills to Change Your Response with CBT
We can't always change or control situations, but with CBT, we can learn to change the way we respond to them. This then helps us improve the way we feel. The four areas we've looked at - the way we think, behave, feel emotionally and physically - are all inter-related. This means that a change in one areas affects the others too.
EMOTIONS
THOUGHTS
BEHAVIOUR
PHYSICAL
(Adapted from Padesky, 1986).
The internet dropping may seen insignificant as a single event. But when we are stressed, anxious, or low in mood, we can tend to repeat unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaving. We can get stuck in vicious cycles and the associated emotions.
CBT helps us by breaking these vicious cycles by changing the way we think and behave through structured exercises. This helps us learn coping strategies and improve the way we feel.
CBT is backed by clinical research and is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for a number of mental health difficulties, including anxiety disorders and depression.
If this sounds like an approach you would benefit from, book an Initial Consultation with us now get started with your CBT journey.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on how the way we think
and behave affects the way we feel.
Imagine you have an important online meeting and just before you are due to join, your internet connection drops. How would you respond?
Here are examples of two different responses:
Response 1:
THOUGHTS
This is a disaster! I'm going to look so unprofessional. The internet dropping will sound like an excuse. My team will think I'm just not prepared. Everything always goes wrong for me!
BEHAVIOUR
EMOTIONS
PHYSICAL
Rush around, cursing. Try to restart computer, restart the router and phone IT support at the same time. Snap at the technician on the
phone.
Stress, anger, frustration, impatience, panic.
Feel hot, increased heart rate, sweating, knot in stomach, faster breathing, tension in shoulders and jaw.
Response 2:
THOUGHTS
BEHAVIOUR
EMOTIONS
PHYSICAL
That's odd. I hope I can get it fixed in time.
These things happen. I'm sure they will understand. I can send my contribution by email when the connection is back.
Try reconnecting. Look into dialling in as another option.
Contact a colleague to let them know about the situation. Make cup of tea while waiting to see is the connection returns.
Mild annoyance, calm.
No noticeable changes
Learn The Skills to Change Your Response with CBT
We can't always change or control situations, but with CBT, we can learn to change the way we respond to them. This then helps us improve the way we feel. The four areas we've looked at - the way we think, behave, feel emotionally and physically - are all inter-related. This means that a change in one areas affects the others too.
EMOTIONS
THOUGHTS
BEHAVIOUR
PHYSICAL
(Adapted from Padesky, 1986).
The internet dropping may seen insignificant as a single event. But when we are stressed, anxious, or low in mood, we can tend to repeat unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaving. We can get stuck in vicious cycles and the associated emotions.
CBT helps us by breaking these vicious cycles by changing the way we think and behave through structured exercises. This helps us learn coping strategies and improve the way we feel.
CBT is backed by clinical research and is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for a number of mental health difficulties, including anxiety disorders and depression.
If this sounds like an approach you would benefit from, book an Initial Consultation with us now get started with your CBT journey.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on how the way we think
and behave affects the way we feel.
Imagine you have an important online meeting and just before you are due to join, your internet connection drops. How would you respond?
Here are examples of two different responses:
Response 1:
THOUGHTS
This is a disaster! I'm going to look so unprofessional. The internet dropping will sound like an excuse. My team will think I'm just not prepared. Everything always goes wrong for me!
BEHAVIOUR
EMOTIONS
PHYSICAL
Rush around, cursing. Try to restart computer, restart the router and phone IT support at the same time. Snap at the technician on the
phone.
Stress, anger, frustration, impatience, panic.
Feel hot, increased heart rate, sweating, knot in stomach, faster breathing, tension in shoulders and jaw.
Response 2:
THOUGHTS
BEHAVIOUR
EMOTIONS
PHYSICAL
That's odd. I hope I can get it fixed in time.
These things happen. I'm sure they will understand. I can send my contribution by email when the connection is back.
Try reconnecting. Look into dialling in as another option.
Contact a colleague to let them know about the situation. Make cup of tea while waiting to see is the connection returns.
Mild annoyance, calm.
No noticeable changes
Learn The Skills to Change Your Response with CBT
We can't always change or control situations, but with CBT, we can learn to change the way we respond to them. This then helps us improve the way we feel. The four areas we've looked at - the way we think, behave, feel emotionally and physically - are all inter-related. This means that a change in one areas affects the others too.
EMOTIONS
THOUGHTS
BEHAVIOUR
PHYSICAL
(Adapted from Padesky, 1986).
The internet dropping may seen insignificant as a single event. But when we are stressed, anxious, or low in mood, we can tend to repeat unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaving. We can get stuck in vicious cycles and the associated emotions.
CBT helps us by breaking these vicious cycles by changing the way we think and behave through structured exercises. This helps us learn coping strategies and improve the way we feel.
CBT is backed by clinical research and is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for a number of mental health difficulties, including anxiety disorders and depression.
If this sounds like an approach you would benefit from, book an Initial Consultation with us now get started with your CBT journey.
Getting Started
We are so pleased you've decided to take the first step towards improving your mental wellbeing.
The world of mental health can feel confusing and overwhelming and it can be difficult to know how and when to seek support or even where to start. We really care about supporting you with this journey and helping you make informed choices. For example, you may have a preference for online therapy over face to face therapy, or private therapy over NHS therapy. We want to make sure you're aware of your options.
Like all problems, it can be really useful to break things down into simple steps to help get started.
We suggest using the following four steps as a starting point:
Step One
Identify the problem and your goals.
Step Two
Understand the support available to you.
Step Three
Access and engage with your chosen method of support
Step Four
Review your progress and maintain positive change.
Step One
Identify the problem and your goals.
The Problem
We are better able to change something when we know what we want to be different. So, it’s important to give some thought to the main problem you are experiencing and want help with. For example, you may be looking for therapy for anxiety but not know what type of anxiety disorder it is. That's OK. The problem doesn’t need to be a self-diagnosis or even have a name. It may be a cluster of feelings, behaviours or concerns. It may be observations your loved ones have shared, or it may be that you simply don’t feel yourself. You might find you have several problems and don’t know where to start. That’s fine – make a list. A mental health professional will be able to help support you to better understand this and identify the main problem to address. Working on one problem often has a positive ripple effect on the others.
The Goals
Goals help keep us focused. Sometimes, if we’re unsure about what the main problem is, identifying a goal and focusing on what we want can help us identify it. Your goal doesn’t need to be perfectly defined but it’s helpful for you to have a sense of what you want to work on or what you would like to be different. If you have been feeling irritable and snappy for example, you may want techniques to help you feel calmer. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, you may want some coping strategies for stress or to learn how to practice mindfulness, and if you’ve avoiding certain things out of fear or worry, you may want to be able to face these things again.
Step Two
Understand the support available to you.
Once you have identified the problem and your goals, it is helpful to look into the support available to help you with this. Your GP can often be a helpful starting point.
At Brighter Minds, we offer an initial consultation to help you get started on your journey to achieving your mental health and wellbeing goals. In most cases, CBT is the clinically recommended approach and we can then arrange these sessions together.
We have developed the following guides to help find out a bit more about CBT and other therapy options you may want to consider:
The NHS also offers information on how to access support for Mental Health.
Step Three
Access and engage with your chosen method of support
This step is the ‘doing’ part. Depending on what kind of support you have chosen, this could involve working with a therapist, taking prescribed medication, seeing your GP or mental health nurse or possibly a combination of these things. It is important that you follow the treatment plan you have agreed and are honest with whoever is providing this support about whether you are finding it helpful. If not, it might be helpful to go back to Step Two and explore other options that may work better for you and discuss this with them in order to agree a new plan.
If your chosen method of support is CBT, we are here for you and you can book an online appointment now.
We have written the following articles to help:
Step Four
Review your progress and maintain positive change
This is a really important step that is easy to skip over, especially if you are feeling much better. It can be helpful to take some time to think about your journey and note down responses to reflective questions that help you capture what you have learnt and achieved, such as the following:
-
What has helped you feel better and achieve you goal?
-
What changes do you want to maintain and how will you do this?
-
What challenges have you had along the way and how did you manage them?
-
What challenges do you think may present themselves and how might you manage them?
-
Who can support you to maintain your progress and change?
-
What can you do if you find yourself struggling again?