CBT has been extensively researched and proven to be an effective treatmemt for a range of conditions. Therapy focuses on the "here and now", on how current problems distress you and interfere with your day to day life. Like all therapies, treatment involves gaining an understanding of your problems and how they have developed.

 

Therapy is based on the following principles:

Collaborative, that is, you and your therapist will work together to understand and develop strategies to address your difficulties and set value driven goals for how this is to be achieved.

Structured, to keep both therapist and client on track and maximise use of time; often uses exercises and in-between session activities (homework) to help test out new ideas in practice.

Empowering, that is, sessions are aimed at equiping you with skills you can continue to use once therapy has finished to help you deal effectively with future problems should they arise.

 

How I work

Should you decide this is the approach you want to consider to address your difficulties,  Contact me for an initial consultation or to book an appointment for an initial assessment. An initial assessment enables us to establish nature of your presenting problems and how they are impacting on daily functioning and life. Furthermore, to establish whether CBT is likely to be beneficial. During the assessment phase you will be asked to complete some questionnaires. An initial assessment can take about 90 minutes. Occasionally an assessment can take more than one session. 

 

Once an assessment is complete will  discuss and draw up a formulation (that is, a framework used in CBT to help make sense of your problems, what is keeping them going (maintenance factors) and what the overall treatment will involve. You will be given an estimation of the number of sessions you will need, this will be influenced in part by the severity and complexity of your situation. In some cases therapy can be as brief as 6 sessions or take as long as 24 sessions. 

 

Usually treatment begins with you meeting your therapist on a weekly basis to begin with, this can then be gradually spaced out as treatment progresses. 

Throughout, the treatment phase will link to your value driven goals to ensure therapy remains focused to what you hope to achieve at the end. Mid-point we will review progress accordingly and at the end of therapy evaluate outcome. 

Remember this form of therapy requires your committment to practice what you learn in session during the rest of the week. 

 

"If you do what you've always done, you will get what you've always got". 

 

Confidentiality

This will be maintained in a similar way as it is in the NHS, that is, your sessions will be confidential and information about you will not be shared to anyone without your permission. Breach of confidentiality from my part will be in exceptional situations related to duty of care, in particular where l believe that you or significant others are at risk.