What is it? Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy, which combines cognitive therapy (examining the things you think) and behaviour therapy (examining the things you do). It aims to change how you think, to change how you behave, in relation to difficult, emotionally challenging situations.
My Experience Understanding. That’s something we all need a bit more of. And when it comes to mental health, this is no different and partaking in CBT gave me a deeper understanding of how my well-being is affected by my behaviour and thoughts and this soon assisted with my recovery. Before starting, I was hesitant, as I knew that CBT is a talking therapy, and this would mean describing how I feel, think and behave. Often I feel like I’m a bit odd, quite different from others and so why would I want to share this with someone.
I’ll be honest, after referral, I did wait 4 and a half months to be seen. Which is a long time when you’re struggling with something. Can you imagine waiting 4 months for a cast if you broke your leg? It makes living your daily life extremely difficult, but they do offer you silvercloud, which is an online course to help you manage stress, anxiety and depression. The eight-week course is designed to change the way you think and feel about things, just like you would in CBT. So it is definitely a helpful tool while you wait to be contacted by a therapist.
Once I was contacted by a clinic, I had a phone call which lasted for around 50 minutes. This was an opportunity for the therapist to understand where I was coming from and to evaluate if I needed sessions and how they would be structured. To finish off, we discussed my availability and I was provided with a date for my first face to face session, and I was lucky enough to get an after work slot.
The first appointment, we had an introduction of how the sessions will go, and I completed quite a few questionnaires which indicated what I was struggling with and how severe the struggle was. Each session after that will be aimed at making you recognise how you think, feel and behave and ways in which we can accept all three, without worrying about either. I held back on the first few sessions, as I did not expect them to be recorded, and this initially made me feel awkward. But the therapist was really good at making me feel relaxed and soon enough I forgot about the dictaphone and spoke like I would with a friend, open and honest.
The techniques I learned in therapy got more difficult as they went on, which I guess is not what you might expect. But if you think about it, you’re becoming more resilient each session and you can only do that by continuously pushing yourself. There will be times when you feel uncomfortable, when you do not want to talk or even be there. I cut one of my sessions short as I was not feeling up to it, and that is completely fine, but never miss an appointment, always go and see how you feel, your therapist might be able to help.
Overall, I had 18, 1-hour long sessions, which took place weekly. I’m unsure how other clinics set out their sessions, but I found once a week manageable and the perfect time for a catch up. I write this, two months after my therapy ended, and I am happy to say, I feel great. I often refer back to what I learnt during therapy and apply it to situations to ensure they do not spiral and cause my thoughts to trigger old negative patterns. I cannot speak for others, but CBT was extremely positive for me and I feel like myself again. Finally. I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers after completing CBT, and it’s clear from talking to others that no one really has it all together, we are all just trying our best to navigate this crazy world! And guess what, THAT’S COMPLETELY FINE.
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