Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment that focuses on the ‘here and now’ to help you to feel better. The therapy helps the client alter their negative thought patterns, and to recognise and change behaviours which are causing conflict in their life.

Through talking, you challenge negative thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Instead of focusing on the causes of your distress or symptoms in the past, it looks for ways to improve your state of mind now which may be affecting your present day beliefs and behaviours.

This is a type of psychotherapy that emphasises the important role of thinking in how we feel and what we do.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help:

• people who find that they keep repeating the same self-defeating automatic thoughts;
• to change distortions of thought which may be causing or prolonging psychological distress.

The therapy does not tell people how they should feel, however the therapy does help clients to be in a better position to make use of their own resources, knowledge and energy to resolve issues.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy works on how our thoughts precede moods, and false self-beliefs may produce negative emotions. The therapy aims to help the client recognise and evaluate patterns of negative thoughts, replacing them with positive thoughts that more closely reflect reality.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy changes pessimistic ideas and highly critical self-evaluations that contribute, energise and sustain symptoms such as depression and low self-esteem. This can help to change negative thought patterns that are creating significant stress and helps clients to develop better coping skills.