CBT therapy

I was prescribed it years ago and had to accept or be dropped from further treatment options ( which were limited). It was 6 weeks and I'd read the same book as the therapist so I knew what she was going to say. I wasn't impressed but she tried so hard that I felt sorry for her at the end and told her it had helped me so she wouldn't feel she'd failed!

One kind of therapy I would recommend for all manner of problems is the Human Givens approach. I don't think it's available on the NHS though, and sessions could be pricey. An advantage of this methodology is that relatively few sessions with a therapist are needed for the patient to start feeling better.

Six weekly sessions is nowhere near enough! It takes as long as it takes. I fully endorse CBT.

On bereavement and grief this is well worth a read, as it does use a CBT approach. Not recommending it for all!

www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/mental-health/mental-health-self-help-guides/bereavement-and-grief-self-help-guide

Echoed!.

I'm not sure about "never" re grief. Its too profound a subject to tackle in depth, but helping someone understand a process they are going through may be needful. Eg it's not "wrong" to feel angry all the time and so on, but everyone around you seems to think you ought 'not" to feel it ...

OTOH an inability to deal with all the facets of loss is often at the root of some severe depressions, and not something for a few sessions

Enidd I hope CBT is helpful to you. Indeed everyone is different and there is no one size fits all therapy. I wish you well.

The current problem over most of the country is that IAPT which are the front line psychological services are so totally overburdened with referrals that they cannot offer what they would like - ie if appropriate longer term and always 1 2 1 not group therapy.

a friend of mine who was an IAPT counsellor till very recently says one major problem is that people are presenting to IAPT who have far more complex MH problems - bi polar, psychotic, personality disorders, when they need to be referred to CMHT (Community Mental Health Teams, who have psychiatrists and psychologists and OT etc, full teams)

And the log jam is because CMHT have been subject to horrendous cut backs now for some years to the point that only the most obvious and serious get picked up properly.

Mental Health has always - long before the NHS generally went into crisis - been a cinderella service.

Despite all the rhetoric - it is undoubtedly easier to talk "Mental Health "than before and such and such a celeb "comes out" - the cut backs have continued.

And yet, and yet...if we think of all the recent new coverage on people who have missed out on treatment, can we honestly recall anyone interviewed who commented on not being able to get MH treatments? Or a psychiatrist interviewed, not a physical health consultant?

Nevertheless, there is still treatment out there and please try and ask, never give up.

A general word about CBT and drugs - it is actually quite normal to be prescribed both initially.

Some people even after good talking therapy will always need to take MH meds...
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....but it is undoubtedly the case that if there were more talking therapy it is likely less drugs would be needed or prescribed. Please never feel shame if you need to -the drugs around now are varied and can be targeted.

The government latched onto research that suggested CBT can sort problems in 6 weeks, so that’s what’s on offer. Waiting lists are long and the skill of therapists vary. The key to positive outcomes from therapy is the nature of the relationship between therapist and client. 6 weeks of CBT is extremely unlikely to help those who need psychotherapy or counselling from a properly trained and supervised person.
It isn’t all about cost savings but we have a government that understands the value of nothing.

Different therapies do indeed "all have their place" ... the problem, as many have pointed out, is not having access to these therapies. Round here it is CBT or nothing. And as we have seen this is not always helpful ... there is no one size fits all. For example it is not suitable for grief counselling, but it is good for some anxiety-led problems.
Meanwhile many people have ongoing problems that are not addressed as they cannot afford to go private.

biglouis

I had a course of CBT for dealing with panic attacks back in the 2000's. As one previous poster has stated it is very good for tackling issues where understanding your patterns of thinking without digging deeply.

It made me see that I often put myself in a position of deliberately avoiding potentially stressful situations in case they triggered a panic attack. Rather than avoiding the situations I should teach myself to face them, accepting that nothing really dreadful was likely to happen.

Well of course I know intellectually that I am not going to die or have a heart attack if I open the door to my whinging neighbour or some pesky sales person. However I just dont have the headspace for time wasters so I look on the camera and then allow them to stand there until they get tired.

I can well understand your feelings. I went for CBT counselling after my parents died and one of the first things the counsellor said to me was to rid the negative effects in my life. I kept a diary with trigger people/points which deflated me and was surprised to find that it was a certain /selfish cousin/'friends' whose company I did not enjoy. Having removed myself from their worlds, I wake up feeling much better and not dread answering yet another moaning telephone call or video chat all about them and their woes. Quite liberating. I also now have the confidence to choose with whom I keep company or not.

I had a course of CBT for dealing with panic attacks back in the 2000's. As one previous poster has stated it is very good for tackling issues where understanding your patterns of thinking without digging deeply.

It made me see that I often put myself in a position of deliberately avoiding potentially stressful situations in case they triggered a panic attack. Rather than avoiding the situations I should teach myself to face them, accepting that nothing really dreadful was likely to happen.

Well of course I know intellectually that I am not going to die or have a heart attack if I open the door to my whinging neighbour or some pesky sales person. However I just dont have the headspace for time wasters so I look on the camera and then allow them to stand there until they get tired.

Wyllow has given an excellent summary I think. Personally I get very cross when I read of poor experiences with NHS therapy. Provision varies area to area, some are more flexible than others. IAPT does allow for more sessions than 6 if assessed to be appropriate. We’re back to funding. Not all areas can afford to offer it.

A bad experience skews the view of the whole modality, as it does with anything. NHS practitioners providing one to one or group CBT vary hugely in both training and experience ranging from those with many years of experience, often as counsellors or psychotherapists, to psychologists fresh from training.

Any therapeutic modality isn’t for everyone, after all we’re not tins of beans, we come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, both physical and emotional. CBT if structured for the individual can help with both anxiety and depression as well as a myriad of other challenges to wellbeing. It should be a cooperative approach. If applied like a recipe over a very short period of time without a sound therapeutic relationship it can in my view be a recipe for disaster, equally it can be very effective especially if the relationship is strong..

If resources are available for private input then the choice is wider. The BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy ) site has useful summaries about differing modalities in the about therapy section.

As Wyllow says if private therapy is an option it’s essential to check level of training. No professional and ethical therapist will mind being asked about their experience. Many offer low or no cost initial meetings. In essence go therapist shopping.

None of this helps people in distress seeking NHS input if the structure doesn’t allow for flexibility to meet needs. It’s one of the reasons I resigned when I did. As an ex NHS physiotherapist said to me recently it’s painful to not be allowed to work in the way I know is best for my patient.

I hope you can find appropriate support enidd. If you are being offered CBT keep an open mind, no one knows if it will help unless they try. Good luck.

About 30 yrs ago had CBT counselling for an eating disorder that Id suffered from for 7yrs. It definitely did help and although have had occasional very short relapses since, it has not returned. Perhaps it depends on the problem, the amount of sessions and the individual.

I had 6 sessions of Group CBT on the NHS about 5 years ago. It was all my GP could offer me. I was in a very deep depression, I dreaded attending the large group every week & felt it added to my anxiety. The therapist felt I needed one to one therapy as she agreed the group wasn’t for me. The NHS wouldn’t fund it. CBT is helpful in some cases but it didn’t help me. Sadly I had to resort to antidepressants which I still take.

I had a brilliant CBT therapist and went for over a year. But this was 2006.

The standard offer locally now is actually 10 sessions, 6 is not enough, 10 imo doubtful, but thats what's on offer with resources strapped MH services: its sometimes extended.

It is very good for tackling issues where understanding your patterns of thinking without digging deeply is helpful, and it does help quite a few people. But imo 10 sessions is not enough. Also level of training of therapist and whether there is a therapist person match.

so CBT is structured problem solving therapy working with "in the present issues" but longer term CBT with a good therapist can offer more than described above

Counselling is person centred , usually lasts longer, but is mainly still designed to work on problems inhale here and now, not opening deep pandoras box of the past. There are many different sorts and what matters is that you feel the counsellor is "right for you"

Psychotherapy lasts substantially longer and does go back to when problems and issues begun -childhood or a traumatic point. To do it you have to be able to cope with triggers that this "digging up" throws up. You develop a relationship with the therpaistand your reactions to them start coming out - ie feelings of anger or love or resentment towards the therapist, and that all part of the package.

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is where you lie down and dont see the face of the therapist. Often more than once a week. Definitely deep and can be disturbing and is not often recommended if serious MH problems unless there is other MH support as in a CPN (Community Psychiatric Nurse).

I know this because I am a trained psychotherapist but have also experienced CBT, counselling, and psychoanalytic psychotherapy as a patient more recently (until 2014 - still NHS funded then)..

They have all had their place and I was fortunate enough to get them when the NHS still offered them. Some limited counselling and therapy is still available on the NHS but TBH hard to get.

At lot of people now decide its so important they will try and allocate more for it - £40 0r upwards substantially, although there are some voluntary sector funded opportunities, and some opportunities to get grants for counselling. for example locally there is a free counselling charity for abuse victims, but a long wait.

If you decide to go private you need to check out that they belong to appropriate professional bodies and have had the training. There are actually quite a number of ex NHS counsellors who are very good: some have sliding scales.

You can self-refer for counselling (in theory, anyway):

www.nhs.uk/service-search/mental-health/find-an-nhs-talking-therapies-service

Luckygirl3

Many years ago I found CBT very helpful for agoraphobia amd panic attacks.

But recently I have asked for help with a long buried trauma and am being offered CBT.
I think this would be a waste as It won't help but as you wrote it just seems like box ticking.
Do you want anti depressants? and CBT. 2 boxes ticked.

I have just been having a course of CBT - it is the only therapy offered round here. To be fair, the person I saw said he did not think CBT was appropriate for my problems but there was no counselling available.

I am sorry to be cynical, but I think that the government and health authorities use it to tick a box - to be able to say they have offered something.

It is a somewhat mechanistic process that aims to get people to think differently about their problems - a sort of "mind over matter." It works best with people with very mild anxiety. Otherwise it is not something I would rate highly.

I agreed to give it a go because there was nothing else on offer and I have been struggling with what is basically sadness - and I have good reasons to be sad sometimes. The last few years have taken a huge toll. But - hey ho - I will just have to bash on.

I've had it but didn't feel it helped

Iam64 you’re right about too short a period to ‘fix’ problems significant problems. Feeling you have to recover in a set length of time is detrimental to the treatment.
Also, the person needing the CBT has to believe it might help.

It isn’t a therapy I’d recommend. It can be useful in helping phobias of flying for example. Significant depression/anxiety or psychological issues need more than simplistic therapy offered for six sessions only. It’s one way this govt seeks simple solutions to complex problems

I had it many years ago. I didn't rate it.

I’ve had some, though a long time ago and I don’t think they even called it that! I didn’t feel at the time that it helped much (with anxiety) but reinforced by further reading and continuing to put the most helpful bits into practice, i do feel it was useful. It’s a bit like strengthening weak muscles, not instant but gradual improvement- as long as you keep at it 🙂