This approach aims to help you change the way you think and see things (cognition) so that you can change what you do (behaviour). CBT can help you work on current issues and also look at your schemas - which are patterns of beliefs and thoughts which result in behaviours that do not serve you in the here and now.

Working with your therapist, CBT helps you to work out practical solutions to help you feel better now. When we think about things negatively we tend to experience negative feelings and emotions; this doesn't feel good. It can lead us into unhelpful, negative and unhealthy behaviours. Working together we can identify and challenge these negative thoughts and devise ways to check and change them. When you think more positively, you experience more positive emotions and feelings, and your behaviour helps you live your life in a more positive and healthy way.

CBT can be helpful for depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, obsessions and managing long-term conditions.