I’m a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT), ask me anything

[BeaPerry]

I’m a Cognitive Behavioural PsychoTherapist (CBT) AMA ?

Is online/"self service" CBT worth it?

Can CBT help with SAD?

Can it stop intrusive thoughts?

Is CBT effective for young people who are autistic?

What are your qualifications?

What’s the difference between CBT and psychotherapy?

Do you find it works as a stand alone therapy, or is it better combined with talking therapy? Not sure I've used the right terminology?

I've had CBT, but as part of general therapy and it was life changing, but I dont think it would have worked without the talking before hand, and again afterwards.

Do you practise adapted CBT for autistic clients? Myself and many other autistic people have struggled with CBT in the past but I've heard adapted techniques can be really helpful for a lot of people

Is it suitable for someone in the early stages of dementia?

Do you really think it appropriate that your chosen therapeutic mode is the only one “our” woefully inadequate NHS will pay for when many obviously need the deep approach of psychoanalytic psychotherapy rather than a series of fairly superficial cognitive coping methods?

Why did you choose to train in a tradition that thinks only the conscious mind is relevant?

It can be ….
however for many people they benefit from having a real person to develop a therapeutic relationship with, a shared understanding of the presenting psychological problem and the features in their life that are contributing to ongoing difficulties ..
that is hard to achieve with self help CBT, but certainly not impossible

Yes 👍
SAD can be thought of as psycho / social / biological

so many aspects of CBT including building up daylight exposure, good sleep hygiene, improving social functioning and activities

planing ahead so knowing when the SAD kicks in for the person and getting ahead of the curve and putting in place what is likely to help that person

I’ve seen CBT described as therapeutic gaslighting and I think for some there is some truth in that. There often seems to be a sense that if the therapy isn’t working it’s because you haven’t tried hard enough instead of seeing that it might not be the right intervention.

Is there a frustration in CBT therapists that it’s treated like a low cost ‘catch all’ in adult services because alternatives are too long/expensive? I wonder if it devalues the benefits of CBT.

Do you think CBT encourages masking in autistic people?

No, because everyone experiences intrusive thoughts, but when intrusive thoughts are problematic- as in OCD, CBT can change the person’s relationship with the intrusive thoughts so they are not experienced as terrifying / dangerous / preoccupying etc … which will reduce the frequency and intensity of the intrusive thoughts

medication and CBT for some can be a good combination for working on intrusive thoughts if really severe

Is there a particular CBT or company, or something that can help with exam time? I want to suggest it for school. Some sort of Cbt training?

Yes 👍
well, CBT won’t treat the autism, as that is a neurological condition,
but CBT can treat the psychological difficulties associated with ASD - such as anxiety / emotional regulation / social anxiety / low mood / disordered eating / avoidant behaviours etc

if is vital the the therapist is able to tailor the CBT to the individual, which is always the case, but needs more thought when working with an Individual with autism -

self esteem is often a big problem for those with ASD and the therapist should weave in attending to this throughout

My daughter has had CBT and it really helped her. She is keen to consider something psychology related as a result. Do you have any advice on that? She is currently year 10 so looking at A Level choices next.

Anyone calling themselves a CBT practitioner should be accredited with BABCP -

Is it true people with trauma should avoid CBT and opt for something like EDMr instead?

Psychotherapy refers to any therapy that intends to work psychologically

could be CBT, psychodynamic, person centred, interpersonal, …

there are may different modalities of psychotherapy

Have you ever had a patient chuckle when you said CBT? I am a psychologist and have…I didn’t understand why and had to ask a friend to explain 🤣

If CBT can help autists, why does CAMHS not take on autistic teens?

Sorry, not sure what you mean,
CBT is a model of working to overcome psychological difficulties,
do you mean delivered by a therapist as opposed to self help ?
for some reading a CBT book and self administering the strategies would be sufficient and good, for others being delivered by a CBT practitioner is vital

How does one measure success of a treatment are there any recognized metrics?