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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy(CBT): Information & Services
At Maudsley Private Care, we’re home to a team of clinical psychologists and therapists who are licensed to provide compassionate cognitive behavioural therapy services in London and across the UK, both in-person and online.
Learn more about CBT, how it all works, and how it could help you on your journey to better mental health, here at Maudsley Private Care.
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a widely used talking therapy,. CBT can be highly effective in treating a range of mental health issues. It aims to teach you healthy and productive coping mechanisms to help you tackle life’s difficulties, with a focus on how your thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes affect your feelings and actions.
The primary objective of CBT is to disrupt negative, destructive, or distressing patterns of behaviour and thought processes. This approach combines cognitive therapy, which involves examining and addressing your thought patterns, with behavioural therapy, which focuses on modifying your actions.
CBT distinguishes itself as a more hands-on form of therapy. During CBT sessions, the therapist actively engages with you, offering guidance and sometimes adopting a coaching role. It's not uncommon for worksheets or questionnaires to be integrated into your treatment process, too. So, don’t be surprised if you’re assigned a homework task or two, as CBT often involves tasks to be completed between sessions to bolster your progress.
What to expect from a CBT session?
Whether you’re attending an in-person cognitive behavioural therapy session in London with Maudsley Private Care, or receiving your sessions with us remotely from any area in the UK, our CBT sessions follow a general structure.
Here’s an overview to get you familiar with the process:
- In the initial stages of therapy, you and your therapist will explore the problems and behaviours you wish to address. This is to help understand the problems, begin a formulation/shared understanding and think about goals of the therapy.
- Once you've established your goals for addressing these issues, you'll begin to structure your sessions, breaking down these objectives into manageable steps and examining strategies for altering your behaviour patterns.
- Throughout the session, you may engage in exercises with your therapist to identify and delve into your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. This might involve the use of diagrams or worksheets, which can serve as reference points both during and outside your therapy sessions.
- CBT typically involves assignments for you to complete independently, aiming to reinforce the changes you're striving to make. Consequently, the conclusion of a session may involve agreeing on exercises to work on in the time between sessions.
- At the start of the following session, your therapist may revisit the findings and insights from the previous session and discuss the progress you've achieved through the work you've undertaken outside the sessions.
Is CBT the right therapy for me?
When taking the first steps to reaching out for mental health support and treatment, it can be difficult to know what kind of therapy you need. We understand that everyone under our care at Maudsley Private Care comes with their own unique set of experiences, challenges, and needs, which is why we want to help you make the right choice.
An assessment at with one of our consultant psychiatrists or therapists is often helpful to decide on the right approach and type of therapy for you.
Cognitive behavioural therapy might be a good choice for you if:
1. You're seeking a relatively short-term therapeutic solution. CBT offers flexibility, allowing you to decide the duration of your treatment (particularly when paying privately). Typically, around 12-16 sessions is a reasonable starting point.
CBT doesn't delve extensively into past events, so, if you would rather focus on the future, rather than the past, this form of therapy would be a good fit for you. It examines the circumstances contributing to current challenges, but may not always explore them to the same depth as other therapies.
2. Completing "homework" between sessions is integral to CBT's success. However, people grappling with severe depression or chaotic circumstances may find it challenging to allocate the necessary time and energy.
3. To benefit from CBT, you must be open to altering your thinking and approaching various life aspects with improved strategies.
4. Having a clearly defined problem or goal is advantageous for CBT. The therapist can assist you in identifying this during the initial appointment.
If you’re unsure whether CBT is the right choice for you, our team of professional mental health clinicians are on hand to help you with any questions you might have. We can also advise on which type of therapy might be best suited to your individual needs.
How to access CBT therapy in London and across the UK
You don’t always need a mental health diagnosis to access cognitive behavioural therapy services. If you do have a diagnosis with us, from another mental health services provider, or you don’t have a diagnosis and are in need of support, get in touch to find out when you can start CBT sessions with us.
At Maudsley Private Care, we offer comprehensive in-person and online cognitive behavioural therapy for UK residents, adults and children, carried out with compassion by one of our expert clinicians.
You might choose private cognitive behavioural therapy if:
- the waiting list for a therapy service with the NHS is too long, and you would like to talk to a therapist and/or psychiatrist quickly
- you're looking for a more varied choice of specialist treatment to create truly bespoke treatment plan
- you need sustained, reliable support over a long period of time
Our team of psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists are trained to the highest standards, with decades of experience in assessing and treating people with suffering with mental health problems from unique and complex backgrounds.
You can get in touch with our dedicated team directly on 020 3228 9880 for more information about assessments, treatments, and therapies.
All calls are free-of-charge and confidential.