What is CBT  

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that aims to help people understand their difficulties through exploring their thoughts, feelings and behaviours which is sometimes described as the “vicious cycle”. There is an example of a vicious cycle at the bottom of this webpage. It also provides people with practical skills and understanding to help them change and manage their problems. These skills can help unpick and change negative thinking habits and unhelpful patterns of behaviour which might be part of what is keeping the problem going. CBT can help children and adults, and can be suitably adapted for people autistic individuals and those with ADHD, and learning difficulties.  

What to expect  

If your CAMHS care co-ordinator or someone involved in your care has recommended and referred you for CBT, they will offer to book you into an assessment with a CBT therapist. Please be aware we do have a waiting list for CBT, but the team is working hard to reduce waiting times.  

Once the referral to CBT has been accepted for further assessment, a CBT therapist will reach out to arrange an assessment with you. During the assessment, the CBT therapist will ask different questions to find out what has brought to you to CAMHS, what you feel is your main difficulty, and how you would like things to be different. These assessments can feel quite in-depth but it is important our team can understand your difficulties so we are in the best position to help. 

If your difficulties have been identified as appropriate for CBT therapy, the therapist will then help you figure out what you would like to be different and what your goals for therapy are. This is an important step as these goals will help guide the direction of therapy. Sessions will begin and you and your therapist will begin to target the main difficulties. After around 6 sessions, your therapist will discuss a “review” with you, to see how you are finding therapy, making sure it feels like it is helping, and to check in with how we are doing in terms of reaching your therapy goals. 

As you start to approach discharge, you and your therapist may decide to reduce the frequency of sessions. This is to help you increase your confidence in using CBT skills independently, which we know from research helps people maintain their progress. Upon discharge, you and your therapist will design a “discharge plan” that helps you summarise all your learning from therapy so you have a guide you can follow and refer to post-discharge. 

 A common question about CBT is “how many sessions will I get?”. This is a difficult question to answer and will vary from person to person. Some young people may find they need 6 – 12 sessions. For others, they may find they need more than this.  

What CBT is … What CBT isn’t  

CBT is

Collaborative - The CBT therapist might be the expert of CBT, but you are the expert of yourself! We need to work together to understand your difficulties and learn ways to manage them, so you can make long-term change.  

Active – sometimes described as the “doing” therapy, CBT is not just about talking. It is about taking positive and proactive action and this may mean changing our behaviour, as well as tackling our negative thoughts.  

Focussed on the “now” – CBT focusses on the here and now, what the main problem is for you right now, and what is keeping it going. However, we also talk about the past, as that can often influence how we feel and behave “in the now”, and how we might feel about the future.  

CBT isn’t  

A quick fix! It takes time and lots of practice outside of the session to begin to see the benefit of the skills, strategies and learning you may take from the sessions.  

A “one size fits all” therapy. Some people find CBT to be very beneficial and it helps them reach their goals, but some people find it less helpful. This is okay! We are all different, and there are times when CBT might not be the best therapy for someone. If this is the case, your CBT therapist might explore other options of therapy with you.  

What kind of problems can CBT help with…     

CBT can help with many different issues, some of which are listed below.  

• Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) 
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) 
• Phobias 
• Depression 
• Panic  
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 
• Separation Anxiety  
• Tics and Tourettes 
• Eating Disorders 

Please be aware that CBT can help with many different difficulties, which might not be listed here. However, there can be certain situations where CBT is not the recommended therapy, and we might recommend alternative services or therapies. If you are not sure whether CBT is for you, please do discuss this with a member of your care team at CAMHS such as your care co-ordinator.  

Is CBT for me?  

It can be difficult to know if you are ready for CBT and to know whether it will help. The following questions might help you come to this decision. 

• Are you ready for the commitment of weekly therapy sessions?  
• Would you feel able to commit time outside of the session to practice skills learnt within CBT?  
• Do you feel ready to discuss difficult topics which might initially cause some distress?  
• Can you identify some goals that you would like to achieve within therapy? 

CBT vicious cycle  

Early in therapy, the therapist and young person work together to work out what is keeping the main problem going. This is done by exploring a recent situation where the problem may have been triggered. The therapist will then explore the thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and behaviours experienced by the young person. This can be a very helpful process, highlighting what is keeping the problem “stuck” and helping the young person to identify possible solutions. Don’t worry if some of these ideas sound complex, your therapist is there to guide you through every step of the way.

What some clients have said about CBT 

“CBT has given my son, and myself as a parent, the skills and confidence to manage his condition and I would recommend it to anyone in a similar position and cannot thank our therapist enough for her help!”  

“I had therapy to work on my anger and I would say that the time I spent with my therapist was lovely. She was very caring and took my feelings seriously. What I have to say about therapy is that it can be difficult to open up to begin with but that is normal and after a while it will be easier and you’ll feel comfortable and confident in yourself. Highly recommend”.  

"I felt safe and encouraged to be open and honest, everyone listened to me and what I asked of them, I was in control of my care".

"I went to CBT regularly and consistently and when I didn’t understand something it was explained to me both verbally and visually".

“CBT isn’t as scary as it seems, it helps you in ways you wouldn’t expect. But you have to learn how to help yourself too to make it work”.  

We are currently in the process of sharing information about this team. Please check back for updates soon. 

We are currently in the process of sharing information about this team. Please check back for updates soon.

Our CAMHS Recovery teams are based at Temple House, Ripley resource centre, Century House and Dale Bank View across Derbyshire.

Our staff are known as ‘care coordinators’. Recovery team Care co-ordinators work with you to develop a plan of care you need support with, the care plan identifies goals you would like to work towards and aim for.

We carry out a range of focused work around specific difficulties and concerns such as low mood, anxiety and managing emotions. We can support you with referrals to other teams in CAMHS and communicate with other professionals who may also be supporting you such as your GP (doctor) and your school if this is required. We will offer you support through your recovery journey and plan a discharge along side you and your needs, this may mean signposting you to other services that can be of benefit. 

We are currently in the process of sharing information about this team. Please check back for updates soon.

Our urgent care teams are made up of CAMHS Crisis and Home Treatment Team and CAMHS Liaison Team. Please note, these teams may only be contacted by professionals. 

For information about our CAMHS Eating Disorder Service, please visit our Eating Disorders Page. 

For information about our CAMHS Intellectual Disabilities Services, please visit our Intellectual Disabilities Page.

For information about our CAMHS Participation Services, please visit our Participation Page.