What is CBT?

CBT stands for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Cognitions are what we think, behaviours are what we do, and these aspects impact how we feel.

CBT is all about identifying and restructuring unhelpful thinking styles and behaviour patterns and working towards goals.

Goals can be really varied from person to person but can involve things like increasing self-esteem, reducing imposter syndrome, communicating effectively, processing the past, or finding focus or purpose; however, they’re always specific to the client. 

CBT can stay focused in the here-and-now looking at problem solving in day-to-day life or can delve deeper into the past to see where certain thinking styles or behaviours come from. Perhaps there are some unresolved issues, experiences, or traumas, or perhaps you’re just curious to make connections between past and present.

The word I’d use to describe CBT is proactive.

I’m not here to fix you or tell you what to do. I’ll be alongside you helping you set and work towards your goals. You’ll complete homework in between sessions, and I’ll ask you for feedback at the end of each session and items to add to the agenda at the start. 

Speaking of agendas – each session will have an agenda set at the beginning to make sure we’re always working towards your goals. There can be a bit of flex to talk about things that might pop up or become important to you but broadly speaking our work is about helping you to achieve your desired goals. 

Although there’s an expectation for you to do the work, I am absolutely here to help you. I’ll provide you with ‘psychoeducation’ (explanations about how we work as humans) as well as tools and strategies that are proven to help reframe our thoughts and test out new alternatives. 

There are 168 hours in a week and you’re with me for just 1.

So, it’s really about what you can do out-with our sessions to maximise your progress. I can help you with this by supporting you to think of homework exercises to complete (reflections, written exercises, and behavioural experiments) that are relevant to your goals. 

Before we finish, I’ll take you through how to maintain your progress and prevent setbacks so that by the end, you can ‘be your own therapist’. You’ll know your sore or tricky points, your typical unhelpful patterns (and why they’re there), and you’ll have tools and other coping strategies to help you from falling into the same old patterns.

I think of myself as a passenger on your bus – you’re always driving, I just get on for a couple of stops until it’s time for me to go.