We are Doctors of Clinical Psychology and Counselling Psychologists (Msc) specialising in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for both adults and children experiencing a range of problems including, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, bereavement, eating disorders (including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa), obsessive compulsive disorder and others distressing emotional problems. We offer Face to Face, Telephone, Video and Online Counselling for individuals and couples. For more information visit us at www.thebritishcbtcounsellingservice.co.uk

Your First CBT Session What To Expect

Your Psychologist will offer you weekly (50 minute). Your treatment will begin with a period of assessment which will last between 1-3 sessions. Here you will be able to discuss in detail the problems that have led you to seek therapy. Your Psychologist will also ask you more general questions about your family, work and home life in order to build a complete picture of you and how and why your problems have developed and persisted. There will also be an opportunity to discuss how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) will be helpful for you and your psychologist will be able to give you an estimate of the number of sessions that you will need. In order to get the most out of this first session we suggest that you spend some time before your appointment thinking about what you would like to achieve during your treatment by considering the following questions: 1. What aspects of your life would you like to change? 2. What aspect would you like to stay the same? 3. What needs to happen for these changes to occur? 4. What might get in the way of making these changes? 5. How will I know when my treatment has been worthwhile? Once your treatment has begun you will meet with your Psychologist once a week at the same time for a session lasting 50 minutes. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) aims to enable you to become your own therapist and so a key part of the work you do will be to facilitate this end. In line with this goal, as treatment progresses and you become more confident in your own capacity to manage your problems, the frequency of your sessions will gradually reduce (e.g. from weekly to fortnightly to monthly) with appropriate follow-up sessions offered (e.g. 3 monthly & 6 monthly).

CBT The Basic Principles

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is not about correcting faulty thinking as is often simplistically suggested in the press; rather it is about helping people to understand how they have become trapped by their attention, reasoning and current coping strategies and how to find ways out of these traps. The focus is on helping people to find helpful ways of thinking and behaving- it is not just about accuracy. Thinking one will die if one falls whilst trying to escape from the top floor of a burning house might be ‘true’, but it is not a helpful focus. CBT does this by describing how we respond to the world in a way that gives us a strategy to modify our experiences when these are causing us distress. First it divides our experience in to three components; THOUGHTS, FEELINGS AND BEHAVIOURS, then it explores the interactions between them. Initially these distinctions may seem obvious. However, they are not ones that we use on a day-to-day basis as generally we respond to the world in a reasonably automatic way. So breaking our experience down in this way takes some practice.

CBT Counselling Still Waiting For Help From The NHS

Evidence suggests that CBT is currently the most effective treatment for a range of mental health problems including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, OCD, PTSD. As such it is recommended as the treatment of choice by The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and therefore by the government . However, despite the recent introduction of IAPTs (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies), the government initiate to ensure that CBT is provided to everyone who needs it, NHS waiting lists are still up to 12months long. As a result people are increasingly seeking treatment in the private sector, however, currently the title ‘CBT Therapist’ is not protected and practice is not regulated meaning that anyone can offer it regardless of qualifications or experience. This leaves many people who need the best treatments delivered by the most experienced practitioners exposed. At The British CBT & Counselling Service all practitioners are Doctors of Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychologists (MSc), are accredited to practice by The British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy and hold a practicing certificate with The British Psychological Society. All are also registered with The Health Professionals Council which monitors and regulates the practice of Clinical Psychologists and some are members of The British Association of Cognitive Psychotherapies South London. Each has spent a between seven and nine years training to enable people to overcome their emotional difficulties via CBT and has been a qualified practitioner for at least two years. In addition to practicing privately, many hold (or have recently held) senior positions in the NHS. You can therefore be assured you are getting the Best from the Best.

Specialist Services

Specialists in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) CBT is an evidence based treatment. This means it uses evidence from research and clinical studies to develop effective treatment programmes. These are then tailored to individuals and the problems that they are seeking help to resolve. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is the organisation responsible for providing national health care guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health. Recently

Trade Bodies / Associations

All members of The British CBT & Counselling Service are Doctors of Clinical Psychology * or Counselling Psychologists (MSc), are accredited to practice by The British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy and hold a practicing certificate with The British Psychological Society. All member are also registered with The Health Professionals Council which monitors and regulates the practice of Clinical Psychologists and some are members of The British Association of Cognitive Psych

Trading Since

2001