Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) stands as one of the most common and well-established forms of psychotherapy in the modern world.

Originally developed in the 1960s, this form of psychotherapy has proven to be an effective means of treatment for many common mental health conditions and can also help individuals who may be experiencing transient emotional or mental distress in response to a situation (losing a loved one, abrupt changes in life, etc.).

Conscious Healthcare SA offers CBT to help child, adolescent and adult clients manage and navigate their mental health journey. You can learn more about CBT below. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team.

CBT, at its most basic level, is all about identifying how we respond to individuals and circumstances, particularly in terms of our thoughts and feelings, which dictate our behaviours.

As an example, someone experiencing depression may lose interest in the hobbies and passions that typically bring joy and fulfilment into their lives (this is known as anhedonia). In response to this, they may then give up on engaging in these activities, which only furthers their feelings of depression and anhedonia. This creates a cycle where their feelings of disinterest drive further thoughts of hopelessness, which then impact their emotions and overall behaviour - they continue to withdraw, disengage, etc.

In this case, CBT would seek to dissect how feelings drive thoughts (and vice versa), which then drive behaviour, which then perpetuates negative thoughts and feelings. The intervention comes in identifying where thoughts and feelings can be addressed and how behaviours could be adapted to help change these cycles.

How Long Does a Typical CBT Program Last?

Generally, CBT is a time-limited therapy that’s also goal-oriented. How long a program lasts will differ from client to client, but generally most will attend anywhere between 6 to 20 sessions, often done on a weekly basis.

These sessions provide a framework in which the client and psychologist coordinate and map out goals, whether it’s working on breaking obsessive patterns, improving the outlook for individuals with depression, or helping reduce or manage stress triggers for those prone to anxiety or impacted by PTSD.

How Long Does a Typical CBT Program Last?

Cognitive restructuring (aka cognitive reframing):
This technique focuses on identifying negative or distorted thoughts (such as catastrophising, black-and-white thinking, etc.) and challenging them with evidence-based thinking and logic.
Socratic questioning:
This involves guided discovery with a therapist, utilising open-ended questions that help the client examine the evidence that exists for and against their beliefs. It is named after Greek philosopher Socrates, who practised and taught this form of questioning to gain deeper insights related to knowledge, beliefs, and the self.
Thought Records:
The therapist provides the client with worksheets they can use to make logs about triggering events, the automatic thoughts they had in response to them, their emotions, and make note of alternative interpretations they could derive from those events.

Exposure therapy:
This can be an effective therapy for people who have specific phobias, OCD, or PTSD. It involves a gradual, structured exposure to feared situations or objects.
Relaxation, breathing, mindfulness:
Various techniques for relaxation and mindfulness are effective for a range of mental health conditions. This can include diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, grounding techniques like five senses grounding, and more. All of these can help the client feel more present and less lost inside their heads or caught up in recurring negative thought patterns.

Cognitive restructuring (aka cognitive reframing):
This technique focuses on identifying negative or distorted thoughts (such as catastrophising, black-and-white thinking, etc.) and challenging them with evidence-based thinking and logic.
Socratic questioning:
This involves guided discovery with a therapist, utilising open-ended questions that help the client examine the evidence that exists for and against their beliefs. It is named after Greek philosopher Socrates, who practised and taught this form of questioning to gain deeper insights related to knowledge, beliefs, and the self.
Thought Records:
The therapist provides the client with worksheets they can use to make logs about triggering events, the automatic thoughts they had in response to them, their emotions, and make note of alternative interpretations they could derive from those events.

Exposure therapy:
This can be an effective therapy for people who have specific phobias, OCD, or PTSD. It involves a gradual, structured exposure to feared situations or objects.
Relaxation, breathing, mindfulness:
Various techniques for relaxation and mindfulness are effective for a range of mental health conditions. This can include diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, grounding techniques like five senses grounding, and more. All of these can help the client feel more present and less lost inside their heads or caught up in recurring negative thought patterns.

Is CBT Available for Both Adults and Children at Your Clinic?

Yes, it is.

Whether you attend our North Adelaide clinic in Salisbury or our South Adelaide clinic in Seacliff, we have psychologists who provide cognitive behavioural therapy for children, teenagers, and adults.

Whoever you are, whatever your age, and wherever you are in your mental health journey, we have a team who can assist you in achieving your goals. You can view Our Fees and learn more about costs for private and Medicare, as well as NDIS-eligible pricing.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy