• CBT is a psychological approach which research has shown to be effective for a wide range of problems.

• The client and therapist work together to identify and understand problems in terms of the relationship between    thoughts, feelings and behavior.

• The approach usually focuses on difficulties in the here and now and relies on the therapist and client    developing a shared view of the individual’s problem. This then leads to the identification of personalized,
   time-limited therapy goals and strategies which are continually monitored and evaluated.

• The approaches can be used to help anyone irrespective of ability, culture, race, gender or sexual preference.

• CBT therapists are usually health care providers such as nurses, psychologists, GP’s, social workers and    occupational therapists, who have undertaken additional training in CBT.

Here is an example of how our thoughts, feelings and behavior can affect us :

Carol was nearly asleep and by the time she managed to pick up the phone it had stopped ringing. She had been suffering from anxiety and depression for some time. Her daughter Leanne, who had recently moved to Toronto, immediately came to mind. Carol thought: Something must have happened to Leanne! That was the police calling to inform me that Leanne was in a serious accident. She felt her stomach churning and her heart pounding at the thought that something could have happened to Leanne. Her thoughts raced uncontrollably and she feared she could be losing her mind.

She called Leanne’s home number several times but there was no reply. Sue took this as further evidence that something bad had happened to Leanne. Carol felt so panicky that she stayed up all night, despite taking extra medication. She felt dreadful thinking of all the things that could have happened and even thought of calling some of the GTA hospitals. Carol found out from Leanne the next morning that she had stayed the night at one of her friends’ houses and was fine. Nevertheless, she remained distressed and unsettled and felt unable to go to work………’

What happens in CBT?
In CBT the therapist and the client work together to develop a shared understanding of the client’s problems, identify how these affect the clients’ thoughts, behaviors, feelings and a daily functioning.
Based on the understanding of each clients individual problems the therapist and the client will then work together to define goals and to agree to a shared therapy plan. The focus of therapy is to enable the client to generate solutions to their problems that are more helpful than their present ways of coping. This often involves the client using the time between therapy sessions to try things out.
Therapy is organized over an agreed number of sessions. The number of sessions needed will differ depending on the nature and severity of a client’s problem. Typically, sessions are weekly, last an hour and take place over a period of between 10 to 15 sessions, but this can be significantly shorter or longer. After treatment completion client and therapist usually agree to a limited number or follow-up sessions to maintain the progress achieved.