What is CBT?
(Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based talking therapy developed by psychiatrist Dr. Aaron Beck. It is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for a wide range of mental health conditions, thanks to its strong research foundation and long-term effectiveness.
How can CBT help me?
CBT is used to treat conditions such as:
Depression, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Health Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, and Phobias — among others. It is also helpful in managing long-term health conditions such as obesity, chronic pain, stress, and adjustment to life changes, including in later life.
How does CBT work?
CBT helps you understand how your thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and physical sensations are linked. By identifying unhelpful patterns and learning new, practical ways to respond, CBT supports you in making meaningful changes that improve mental and emotional wellbeing.
A key strength of CBT is that it’s goal-directed and collaborative. Therapy focuses on what you want to achieve — whether that’s feeling more confident, reducing anxiety, coping with trauma, or managing obsessive thoughts or chronic pain. You and your therapist set clear goals and work together to reach them.
CBT is not just about talking — it’s a ‘doing’ therapy. You’ll learn skills during sessions and apply them in daily life. This active approach builds confidence, helps you make lasting changes, and gives you tools you can continue using beyond therapy.
Importantly, CBT also focuses on preventing relapse. You’ll learn to recognise early warning signs, manage triggers, and develop long-term coping strategies — helping you stay well in the future.
Who can benefit from CBT?
CBT can be effective for people of all ages, including older adults (65+), and can be tailored to support age-related challenges such as health concerns and adjustment to retirement or loss. In fact, there is research evidence that older people are just as likely to benefit from CBT as younger people.
Who can help me?
Dr Joanne Younge is a BABCP (British Association of Cognitive and Psychological Therapies) accredited Cognitive Psychotherapist who has a background as a medical doctor and psychiatrist so is uniquely positioned to provide you with holistic assessment and treatment
If you decide to proceed with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) please always ensure that your therapist is accredited with the BABCP, the lead professional organisation for the UK and Ireland.
This shows your therapist has received at least 450 hours training and 200 hours supervised practice, which includes weekly supervision of videos of practice and has had practice evaluated by case studies and standardised assessment of practice. BABCP Accredited practitioners require evidence of ongoing supervision and continuous professional development and must meet high standards.
What is CBT?
Useful Resources
Click on the play button to find out 'What is CBT?' in this 1 minute BABCP video
Below please also find some useful resource videos on grounding techniques, progressive muscle relaxation and 'passengers on the bus' metaphor for our thoughts that can hold us back.
5-4-3-2-1
grounding
This simple technique can help bring your attention from either the past rumination or future worries and back to the present to break the cycle
Progressive muscle relaxation
Guided progressive muscle relaxation exercises where each muscle group is tensed then released, which can be helpful in preparing for sleep or help 'turn down the volume' of chronic pain
Passengers
on a bus-
thought metaphor
Passengers on a bus based on Acceptance and Committment Therapy i(ACT) s a good explantion of the impact our thoughts can have on how we feel and behave and how trying to block thoughts or avoidance may seem helpful at the time but can make things worse long-term.