Working with CBT, Clinical Hypnotherapy & other modalities & with an optional CBT Diploma Exam these modules can be taken independently for professional & personal development For many years now, in the UK, CBT has been the therapy of choice for an increasing number of patients and clients consulting with medical and psychiatric physicians, and, most of all, General Practitioners (GPs). The influential “Depression Report” published in the UK in 2006 by the London School of Economics, recommended a radical shift in health policy, away from prescription medication and towards the provision of “short, effective, evidence based psychological therapies”, particularly CBT. These recommendations were strongly endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the Mental Health Foundation, and many other organisations dedicated to improving mental health, including: Mind, Rethink, The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, Young Minds, etc.
The government responded positively to these recommendations and, following the success of pilot projects in 2007, National Health Service (NHS) policy has been steadily shifting towards the implementation of this new approach. There is, however, a shortage of suitably trained and qualified therapists to meet the increasing demand. GPs are encouraging their patients to seek help from CBT therapists because of its evidence-based results. CBT has been proved to gain superior outcomes, as compared with other talk-based therapeutic approaches, with faster results in the short-term, and often with long-lasting benefits. In this respect, CBT, like hypnotherapy, can be described as a form of ‘brief therapy’.
CBT is a flexible approach that aims to change maladaptive or rigid ways of thinking and feeling. It is not the events themselves, but rather the meaning a person gives them, that are important. Negative and/or anxious thought patterns that build over time become a rigid belief system and fail to adapt to change. By identifying these negative or distorted perceptions, the therapist or clinician can evaluate and help to change the way the patient or client is thinking and, ultimately, feeling and behaving.
Because this therapy pertains to the client’s individual needs and focuses on their negative/anxious thought patterns and processes, they will learn to become more flexible and able to accept and adapt new cognitive skills. CBT therefore encourages better coping skills and strategies in the present and, more importantly, well into the future, thus maintains a significantly reduced relapse rate.
During CBT sessions, it is essential that the therapist assists the client to devise an appropriate plan of action. Providing homework for the client is particularly important, as the client is encouraged to participate in their own therapy regime. Their dysfunctional way of thinking is often habitual, 24 hours a day, therefore it is essential that the client themself records and changes their own often rigid cognitive patterns on a daily basis. This therapeutic structure is valuable, as the client is assured that support is available while they implement their action plan, and they can see and acknowledge their own progress. This in turn contributes to a successful outcome.
Feedback at the beginning of each session is vital, and must include information about what has worked and what has not. The emphasis is on therapist-client collaboration to experiment and explore different ways for the individual client to overcome their difficulties. As the defined maladaptive cognitions are explored and identified by the therapist and client together, a combined approach can also be used, with the therapist who is trained in hypnotherapy incorporating the information gained from the CBT work into hypnosis sessions. Dr David Kato, who has been practising ‘Hypno-CBT’ since 1995, describes this approach as “internal focused CBT”, which he finds leads to faster results and a better success rate than using CBT or hypnotherapy alone.
CBT can be used for any presenting problem including:
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