CBT is an evidence based model of therapy that emphasizes the relationship between thoughts, emotions, bodily feelings and behaviours.

CBT provides a structured process of exploring and understanding a specific problem and generating possible solutions, which are then tested through a series of behavioral experiments.

CBT relies on active collaboration between you and the therapist. You are the expert on yourself and your problem. Your therapist is someone who has worked with others with similar problems and can share their skills and experience as appropriate. Together you come to  a shared understanding of your difficulties  (a formulation) and  agree a treatment plan to address these.

CBT is usually a brief, time-limited therapy, ranging from between 6 and 20 sessions. The ultimate goal of therapy is not to ‘cure’ you but to help you acquire an understanding of your difficulties and a set of tools, which will allow you to manage your difficulties independently.

CBT is based on the here and now. Treatment focuses on factors which contribute to the maintenance of your problem in the present, rather than the factors in the past, which may have contributed to its origin. This is because research has found that this is often enough to enable you to make positive changes.

Difficulties that CBT can help with include: anxiety, anger, depression and low mood, worry, phobias, trauma, low self esteem.


You don’t have to have a specific problem to benefit from counselling. Many people use it to gain a greater understanding of themselves and how they got to be the people they are. This often helps people to make changes in their lives or to come to terms better with things they can’t or don’t want to change … in themselves, their families or society.

Other people find that counseling allows them to explore a particular difficulty in depth. Focusing on the underlying causes of some problems as well as their impact on the present can be important in deciding how best to move forward.

Counselling is less structured and directive than CBT. It can be especially helpful in exploring and coming to terms with difficult life circumstances, or at times when you feel in need of some emotional support or just someone to talk to.

Difficulties counselling can help you with include: bereavement, illness, redundancy, retirement, postnatal depression, past abuse, adoption issues, exploring your gender identity and/or sexual preferences


Couple counselling recognizes that maintaining healthy and happy relationships – juggling partner, children, extended family, job and money – can be very challenging and that most relationships go through difficulties at times. Whatever your gender and sexuality, therapy is an opportunity to explore and understand yourself and your partner better in order to make positive changes.

Difficulties relationship therapy can help with: lack of intimacy and/or sex,  constant arguments that resolve nothing, lack of trust, dealing with an affair, differences over managing children/money/family etc., feeling your relationship is  stuck in a rut, managing a separation/divorce.

Both cognitive behavior therapy and counselling aim to give you a better understanding of your difficulties and how to manage these. Both aim to improve your emotional and mental wellbeing, enabling you to take care of yourself better and to live more fully in the present.

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