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A practical therapy approach to create new habits
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a practical therapy approach focused on creating new habits in how you think (cognitions) as well as the ways you act (behaviours), to bring about positive change in your life.
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Some people like the organised feeling of a structured CBT approach. Others benefit from CBT techniques as part of a more flexible therapy process. In our work together, we can decide how structured or flexible you would like things to be, so that the approach fits who you are and what you are dealing with.
Changing thinking habits
Thought change practices are a powerful, evidence-based tool, and can often bring useful improvements to everyday life quite quickly. Big life events do shape us, however the way you think today is also strongly influenced by the way you thought yesterday, and the day before that, and so on. Over time, thinking patterns become habits as well as choices.
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Once we identify the thinking habits that are not serving you well, we can work together to develop more helpful alternatives. We then fine-tune your ability to practise the new thinking habits over time, so they feel more natural and accessible when you need them most.
Changing behaviours alongside thoughts
CBT encourages us to change behaviours at the same time as thoughts, because evidence shows the two practices are much more powerful together. Identifying which behaviours you would like to change lets us get creative with planning ways of behaving differently that still feel like “you”.
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Even one successful example of behaving differently can make it easier to practise more helpful thoughts. For example, a person who stays home a lot and notices thoughts such as “I’m not a likeable person” is less likely to go out and experiment with what others find likeable. They then gather no evidence to challenge the “unlikeable” thought.
If that same person planned to try small talk with three store employees in a day, and encouraged themselves to do it by thinking “I have some good personal qualities”, they are more likely to get at least one pleasant interaction that day. That interaction then supports the more helpful thought, and we start to build a positive cycle of new experiences and new ways of thinking.
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Throughout this process, my focus is on making CBT feel collaborative, calm and respectful of your pace, so that you can build skills in a way that feels safe, sustainable, and genuinely useful for your life.