I agree that CBT is not much use and most psychiatrists now recommend the ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) model over CBT. It differs from CBT as rather than trying to actively change your thought patterns (which is often futile) it teaches you to allow thoughts to come and go as they please and creates distance between you and them. You quickly realise that you are not your thoughts! It really works too... try this out for yourself for a couple of minutes:
Close your eyes and attempt to watch your thoughts like a cat watching a mouse hole. Don't try to stop or control them in any way. Just watch them, notice them but don't label them or get involved in them. You might be surprised at the result.
A key component in ACT is mindfulness but this is something that is quickly being turned into a cash cow and people are starting courses and charging high fees without regulation. There is a stack of credible scientific research to back up the somewhat grandiose claims of mindfulness practice but the problem is that it's being taught by people who don't really understand it themselves and who are often just looking for a quick way to make money.
I also think mindfulness needs a better PR team as it's being sold to different people as different things and not always effectively. For example, it was featured on BBC Breakfast this morning as researchers have studied the ability of mindfulness to aid relaxation in secondary school children. I couldn't help smiling to myself as I imagined someone coming into my school when I was 16, asking us to close our eyes and focus on our breathing!! Rather than selling it to school kids as a relaxation technique, I'm sure they'd have better success telling the kids that the US marines currently use mindfulness to increase their focus and concentration (which is true btw).
If you tried the exercise I described at the start of this post you may have noticed that your thoughts actually slowed down when you focussed on them? It's possible to use mindfulness to create a lot more clarity and focus in your life and to reduce the impact of unruly thoughts and emotions. This naturally reduces stress and anxiety almost as a by-product!
I think mindfulness has a great deal to offer parents and, like the Mental Health Foundation, we (at Lullaby Babies) are trying to help spread the word about mindfulness and help mums in particular to learn the core techniques. We have just started an interactive forum where mums can learn the techniques completely free (as all mindfulness teachings should be). The link is: www.lullaby-babies.co.uk/mindfulness-for-parents-and-children/
You might also want to check out the BE MINDFUL campaign run by the Mental Health Foundation and the stack of free videos on Youtube about mindfulness (start with Jon Kabat Zinn). If this doesn't work for you then at least you've saved yourself £80 on a course and you can spend it on a new hobby or activity that might give you the same rewards. If all else fails Tesco are doing a special offer right now on Yellow Tail Shiraz!!