Cognitive behavioural therapy

What is CBT?

CBT is a combination of cognitive therapy, which examines unwanted thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs (called cognitive processes) and behavioural therapy, which focuses on behaviour in response to those thoughts.

CBT is a short-term treatment which takes 8 - 20 individual, weekly sessions. It is common to have 10-15 sessions, but a course of CBT can be longer or shorter, depending on the nature and severity of the condition. The number of sessions will depend on the type of problem and on the commitment of the patient.
The first session of therapy will usually include time for the therapist and you to develop a shared understanding of the problem. This is usually to identify how your thoughts, ideas, feelings, attitudes, and behaviours affect your day-to-day life. You should then agree a treatment plan and goals to achieve, and the number of sessions likely to be needed. Each session lasts about an hour.
Typically, a session of therapy is done once a week. You have to take an active part, and are given 'homework' between sessions. For example, to start with your therapist may ask you to keep an exercise diary to help them understand what difficulties you are having. From there, they will go through various practical techniques of addressing those difficulties.

Typical misconceptions

CBT can easily be confused with other talking treatments such as counseling or psychotherapy.
This is simply not the case as it does not involve 'talking freely', or dwell on events in your past to gain insight into your emotional state of mind. It is not a 'lie on the couch and tell all' type of therapy.

CBT tends to deal with the present - how your current thoughts and behaviours are affecting you now.
It recognises that events in your past, particularly thought patterns and behaviours learned in childhood, have shaped the way that you currently think and behave. However, it does not dwell on the past, but aims to find solutions to how to change your current thoughts and behaviours so that you can function better in the future.