What to expect in CBT treatment

CBT treatment starts with an assessment which enables me to get a clear understanding of the problems you are experiencing, your present situation and how this impacts on the problems, and the changes you want to make.

From the assessment comes a set of treatment goals or targets, which define what you would like to have achieved by the end of therapy. The assessment also allows us to arrive at a formulation, which is a diagram or description showing how the problem arises and is maintained. The formulation enables us to identify what changes need to me made to eliminate or reduce the problem. The formulation continues to be refined as treatment progresses and more is learned.

With the assessment completed we are ready to move into the treatment stage of therapy.

CBT is an active form of therapy, reflecting the fact that in order to bring about change we have to do something differently. Often I will suggest activities for you to do as homework between the sessions - these are important, because this is where most of the change takes place, as you practice putting into action the things you have learned in the therapy sessions. The more time and energy you can dedicate to the homework, the quicker and less costly the treatment.

Another important part of treatment is monitoring the problem, and to do this I will ask you to keep records of what happens when you do the homework. These records can often provide useful clues that can help to resolve the problem, as well as being a guide to progress.

Once you have achieved the goals or targets that were defined in the initial session, this is an indication that the treatment is nearing completion. The final sessions are dedicated to going over the techniques you have learned and the understanding you have gained, so that if there are any setbacks after treatment ends, you have the knowledge and skills to deal with them.