As an experienced CBT therapist in Swindon and online, I have helped countless clients engage with their depression and reach a better place. It is never an easy process; depression is a complex phenomenon, and comes in different forms, such as clinical depression, seasonal affective disorder, post natal depression, and bipolar disorder depression. No one case is exactly the same, but what I have learned, over the years, is that CBT therapy can be an extremely effective form of treatment for depression.
Along with being the most empirically supported form of therapy, CBT gives us a structured way of working that enables the therapist to guide the client towards gradually replacing negative thought patterns with more positive interpretations of themselves, other people, and the wider world.
And so, if you are feeling sad, unmotivated, or struggle with other problems linked to depression, here are three ways how my CBT therapy in Swindon or online can help you.
Distinguish Facts From Opinions
CBT is essentially about helping you cope better in the here and now - to manage those nasty thoughts about yourself or other people that seem automatic and immediate. And a crucial way of doing that is through increasing your awareness of the difference between facts and opinions.
Working in a collaborative fashion, we will recognise how the thoughts you have are not facts but opinions you hold about yourself based on your emotions. Saying to yourself, for example, that you're "not good enough" can be responded to with a fact-checking approach - one acknowledging that this belief is not based on any empirical fact. Having this mindfulness around the difference between facts and opinions in this way is a crucial first step in my CBT therapy in Swindon with clients who are depressed.
Challenge Thinking Patterns
Depression causes us to become stuck in a loop of negative thought patterns that only serve to reinforce our low mood. When we think negatively all the time, the negativity ends up having power over you. This unhelpful way of thinking becomes the norm, and you start to genuinely believe these mean thoughts about yourself and others.
With CBT therapy in Swindon, I create a friendly, confidential space where we can examine and challenge these thoughts, enabling clients to understand the cognitive patterns that underpin their depression. Our work will involve analysing the triggers that sit behind these thoughts, eventually getting to a place where we can understand the reality of the situation. Working with me in this way helps the client to develop more rational perspectives on their own thoughts, thereby building healthier patterns of thinking for the future.
More Energy
Along with helping people change their cognitive patterns, CBT therapy in Swindon also focuses on changing behaviour, and in particular rewarding behavioural changes - even small ones, like going for a walk or cleaning up one's room. Depression is often characterised by a lack of motivation or low energy, making healthy patterns much harder to stick to. Changing them for the better will mean you have more energy in your body and feel less weighed down on a daily basis.
Are you struggling with depression? Do you need help climbing out of a dark place? If so, I am here to provide compassionate CBT therapy in Swindon or online. Feel free to get in touch to set up an initial consultation.