Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) focuses on the ways in which thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are interconnected. The therapy involves identifying how negative thoughts and feelings can trap us in a vicious cycle and practicing skills that can change these negative patterns to improve the way we feel. In addition to depression or anxiety, CBT can be beneficial with specific problems, e.g. OCD, panic and phobias. An important part of the approach is the expectation that people will practise making gradual changes between sessions, as this enables the development of skills that can be applied within day-to-day life.  This practising between sessions is essential for CBT to be effective so it is important to bear this in mind when embarking on this particular therapy. 

Over recent years new therapies have emerged from within or related to the field of CBT that have been called ‘third wave’ CBT. These include approaches such as Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.

These approaches prioritise the promotion of psychological and behavioural processes associated with health and well-being over the elimination of psychological and emotional symptoms, although a reduction in symptoms is often a ‘side-benefit’ of more holistic change.

Therapy within these third wave approaches focuses more upon our personal values and observation of the way we relate to our thoughts and feelings, rather than on the content and meaning of negative thoughts and internal experiences. I find these interventions can be particularly useful where issues around stress and life-balance are a focus. They can also be used alongside more traditional cognitive behavioural interventions such as exposure therapy (e.g., systematic desensitization) and behavioural activation.