At TALKWORKS, many of our therapists use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to address the unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that you may be experiencing.

CBT is a form of talking therapy, commonly used within NHS talking therapies, that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think, feel and behave. CBT can help you to challenge negative thoughts and change unhelpful behaviours which may be causing or maintaining stress, anxiety or you to feel low in mood.

What does CBT look like at TALKWORKS?

A female therapist talks to a patient.

Sometimes people may need help to make changes, to help them to feel better. When you come to us for your initial appointment, our TALKWORKS therapists will ask you some questions to understand more about your difficulties and will provide you with some different treatment options.

Guided self-help

The first type of therapy that will be considered includes using CBT techniques in a guided self-help approach. This will consist of:

  • One-to-one sessions with a therapist, typically lasting around 30-40 minutes
  • Therapy will be carried out face-to-face, over the phone or by video call
  • The sessions will be focused on the here and now, without delving into your past difficulties

You will also be offered access to tailored online material, interactive group courses and wellbeing workshops. These resources will help you to challenge negative thoughts to get you back to feeling like 'yourself' again.

High-intensity cognitive behavioural therapy

The next level of therapy is different to guided self-help. In a high-intensity CBT session: 

  • One-to-one sessions will typically last around 1 hour
  • Your therapist will look at your past experiences with you
  • You will work with your therapist to understand how the past has changed your beliefs

As part of the therapy, you will learn to challenge unhelpful ways of thinking and behaving, so that you can feel healthier and happier in yourself. The number of sessions that you have will depend on the difficulties that you are experiencing and the treatment options that we can offer you.