Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the gold-standard, evidence-based talk therapy that helps you recognise and change the unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaviour that keep anxiety and low mood going.

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What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?

CBT is a structured, present-focused, collaborative therapy built on a simple idea: our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are all connected. By working on the parts we can change — how we think and what we do — we can shift how we feel. It has decades of research behind it and is a recommended first-line treatment for many anxiety and mood disorders.

How does CBT work?

Together we map the cycles that keep you stuck — the situations, automatic thoughts, emotions, and responses — and then test and update them. You learn practical skills like spotting thinking traps, weighing the evidence for anxious predictions, and gradually changing avoidance, with between-session practice to make the gains stick.

What does CBT help with?

CBT is effective for generalised anxiety, panic, social anxiety, OCD, health anxiety, depression, and stress. It’s also the foundation the other approaches here build on — ACT, ERP, the Unified Protocol and CFT are all part of, or evolutions of, the broader CBT family.

What it feels like in session

Sessions are active, structured, and goal-oriented, with a clear focus and skills you can use right away. You’re an active collaborator — we set the agenda together and track what’s working.

What CBT can help with

  • Anxiety, panic and worry
  • Low mood and depression
  • Unhelpful thinking patterns ("thinking traps")
  • Stress and avoidance

Frequently asked questions

Is CBT evidence-based?

Yes. CBT is one of the most extensively researched psychotherapies and is recommended as a first-line treatment for many anxiety and mood disorders by major clinical guidelines.

How is CBT different from the other approaches you use?

CBT is the foundation. Approaches like ACT, ERP, the Unified Protocol and Compassion-Focused Therapy are part of — or third-wave evolutions of — the CBT family, each adding a particular focus. I draw on whichever best fits your goals.

How long does CBT take?

CBT is typically time-limited and focused. Many people notice meaningful change within a structured course of weekly sessions, though it varies with goals and history.

Selected clinical references

This approach is informed by established clinical research and treatment guidelines, including:

  1. Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive Therapy of Depression.
  2. Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses.
  3. NICE. Cognitive behavioural therapy is recommended as a first-line treatment across UK anxiety and depression guidelines.