IS COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY RIGHT FOR YOU AND IS IT AS AFFECTIVE AS FACE TO FACE APPOINTMENTS?

What is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy?

In order to decide if CBT is right for you, you must first understand what it is and what to expect from having it. Many people confuse CBT with conventional counselling. They are different in the sense that counselling tends to be a 'free for all' whereby in each session you talk about whatever your choose and the conversation is free flowing and there is no real set agenda, you choose what you would like to talk about on that given day. This can be very helpful for people who benefit from venting or unloading their stress but who don't necessarily need intervention they just need a supportive, confident and safe place to talk about their life. 

CBT is different. There is an agenda and an end goal. If you were sat in front of me on camera or we were talking on the phone we would have already had a consultation and discussed your needs and goals and i would have already prepared what we would be doing in our next session. CBT focuses on challenging and changing negative behaviour.  I will focus on 5 main areas that are interconnected and effect each other 

  • Situations
  • Thoughts
  • Emotions
  • Physical feelings
  • Actions 


An example is your thoughts about a certain situation can often affect how you feel both physically and emotionally as well as how you act as a response. 

"James was walking home from work one evening and was chased by a dog and it nipped his ankle. Up until this time James liked dogs. Now James is frightened of dogs and it affects him both physically and mentally. When he see's one his immediate reaction is to run away or avoid situations where there might be dogs. This has meant he now he cannot go to certain friends houses with dogs, parks and he walks a different way to work in case he see's that same dog again. The more he is feeding into this fear the worse it is getting and he now starts to get anxious if he see's a dog on tv or in a magazine'

There are helpful and unhelpful ways of reacting to a situation and this is determined by how you think about them. CBT aims to stop negative cycles such as these by breaking down things that make you scared and how you react to them and therefore making them more manageable. CBT can help you change your negative thought patterns and improve the way you feel and help you get to a point where you can achieve this on your own. 

So how effective is this online as opposed to face to face?
A study published in Journal of psychological disorders found that Online Therapy is equally as effective as face to face treatments for major depression, panic disorders, social anxiety and many more conditions. It also offers benefits over face to face treatment such as;

  • ?People may feel too self-conscious to meet someone face to face or even on webcam and may feel more comfortable speaking on the phone and so this can be arranged with the therapist. 
  • People in rural areas or with no transportation may find it easier to access
  • Most online therapy is more cost effective than face-to-face treatment
  • Scheduling is a lot easier for both client and therapist, allowing for evening and weekend sessions
  • Some people may find it easier to reveal private information when they're not sharing it face to face
  • People with social anxiety are more likely to reach out to an online therapist
  • During webcam chats the therapist is still able to observe the clients behaviour, facial expressions and general demeanour. 


For more information on online therapy or for a consultations email Carlee at 
Info@online-therapy.uk and be sure to add my Facebook page 
https://www.facebook.com/cllonlinetherapy/