Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Understanding your thoughts, changing unhelpful patterns and building healthier ways forward.
The way we think about situations can influence how we feel and how we respond to the world around us. Sometimes, unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours can contribute to anxiety, stress, low mood and difficulties in everyday life.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) helps people understand the connection between their thoughts, feelings and behaviours, identify patterns that may be contributing to emotional difficulties and develop more helpful ways of responding.
At Field and Mind Psychology, Carla Fadelli draws on CBT to support individuals in developing greater self-awareness, practical coping strategies and confidence in managing life's challenges.
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based psychological approach that explores how thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and behaviours influence one another.
The way we interpret an experience can affect how we feel and what we do in response. Sometimes, these responses can become unhelpful patterns that maintain or increase emotional distress.
For example, someone who worries about making a mistake may begin avoiding situations where they feel uncertain. Although avoiding these situations may provide temporary relief, it can reinforce anxiety over time.
CBT helps identify these patterns and explore alternative ways of thinking and behaving.
The aim is not to eliminate all negative thoughts or difficult emotions, but to develop more balanced perspectives and practical strategies for responding to everyday challenges.
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Our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are closely connected and can influence one another.
For example:
Situation: You receive feedback at work.
Thought: "I've done something wrong. I'm not good enough."
Feeling: Anxiety, embarrassment or disappointment.
Behaviour: Withdrawing, avoiding further feedback or becoming overly self-critical.
CBT helps you recognise these connections and consider whether your initial thoughts accurately reflect the situation.
By developing alternative perspectives and changing unhelpful responses, it may become easier to approach similar situations with greater confidence and flexibility.
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Sometimes, the way we interpret situations can become automatic. These thinking patterns may influence our emotions and behaviours without us fully recognising what is happening.
Some common examples include:
All-or-nothing thinking: Seeing situations as either completely successful or complete failures.
Catastrophising: Expecting the worst possible outcome, even when there is little evidence to support it.
Mind reading: Assuming you know what another person is thinking or feeling.
Overgeneralising: Taking one difficult experience and applying it to every similar situation.
Personalisation: Taking responsibility for things that may be outside your control.
Negative filtering: Focusing on the negative aspects of an experience while overlooking the positive.
Should statements: Placing unrealistic expectations on yourself or others.
CBT helps you recognise these patterns, examine the evidence behind your thoughts and develop more balanced ways of interpreting experiences.
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CBT is a structured and collaborative approach that focuses on understanding current difficulties and developing practical strategies for change.
Depending on your individual needs and therapy goals, sessions may involve:
1. Understanding your experiences
Exploring the situations, thoughts, feelings and behaviours associated with your current difficulties.
2. Identifying unhelpful patterns
Recognising recurring thoughts, beliefs and behaviours that may be contributing to emotional distress.
3. Challenging unhelpful thoughts
Learning to examine automatic thoughts, consider alternative explanations and develop more balanced perspectives.
4. Developing helpful behaviours
Identifying behaviours that may be maintaining difficulties and exploring new ways of responding to challenging situations.
5. Building practical coping strategies
Learning techniques to manage anxiety, stress, difficult emotions and everyday challenges.
6. Applying what you learn
Practising new strategies in everyday situations and reflecting on what works, what feels challenging and what further support may be helpful.
CBT often involves practical exercises, reflection and activities between sessions to help strengthen the skills developed during therapy.
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CBT may be helpful for individuals experiencing:
Anxiety and persistent worry.
Depression and low mood.
Stress and emotional overwhelm.
Panic and fear-based responses.
Low self-esteem and self-criticism.
Perfectionism and fear of failure.
Avoidance behaviours.
Difficulties managing uncertainty.
Unhelpful thinking patterns.
Challenges with confidence and everyday functioning.
It can also be helpful for people who want to better understand their emotional responses, develop practical coping skills and make positive changes in their everyday lives.
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CBT provides an opportunity to explore your experiences in a supportive environment while developing practical skills that can be applied outside the therapy room.
Sessions are collaborative, meaning you and Carla work together to understand your difficulties and identify strategies that align with your individual needs.
Depending on your therapy goals, sessions may involve:
Exploring the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
Identifying situations that trigger emotional distress.
Recognising automatic thoughts and underlying beliefs.
Learning techniques to manage worry and anxiety.
Developing more balanced ways of thinking.
Exploring alternative behavioural responses.
Building confidence through gradual and achievable steps.
Developing strategies to maintain progress over time.
You may also be encouraged to practise certain strategies between sessions, helping you apply what you learn to real-life situations.
The focus is on developing practical skills and greater confidence in managing challenges as they arise.
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CBT recognises that while we cannot always control the situations we encounter, we can develop greater awareness of how we interpret and respond to them.
For example, someone who experiences anxiety about social situations may automatically assume that others are judging them.
Through CBT, they can learn to recognise this thought, consider alternative explanations and gradually practise approaching social situations differently.
Over time, these changes can help reduce avoidance, strengthen confidence and create opportunities for new experiences.
The goal is not to think positively all the time, but to develop more realistic, balanced and helpful ways of understanding situations.
A personalised approach to therapy
At Field and Mind Psychology, Carla recognises that every person's experiences, challenges and goals are different.
CBT may be incorporated alongside other therapeutic approaches, including Schema Therapy, ACT, EMDR and trauma-informed interventions, depending on your individual circumstances and treatment needs.
Sessions provide a supportive space to explore unhelpful patterns, develop practical coping strategies and build a greater understanding of how your thoughts, emotions and behaviours interact.
The aim is to help you develop skills and perspectives that support your emotional wellbeing, confidence and ability to navigate everyday life.
Interested in exploring CBT?
You don't need to wait until things feel overwhelming before seeking support.
Whether you are experiencing anxiety, stress, low mood or recurring patterns that you would like to change, CBT may offer practical tools to help you move forward.
If you would like to explore whether Cognitive Behavioural Therapy may be helpful for you, Carla welcomes you to get in touch.