CBT for Anxiety

CBT for Anxiety is one of the most effective ways of overcoming the emotional distress caused by your mental health problems.

Anxiety is what we experience when we percieve the presence of a threat which may be real or imagined.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was developed by Aaron Beck in the 1960’s who noticed that people’s inner-thoughts were often much more significant than the things that they said out loud during therapy.

He called these inner-thoughts cognition and argued that the way that people think about their experiences links directly to the emotions that they feel.

In other words our emotional experiences are a form of behaviour.

These ideas form the central concept of CBT which states that:

The way people think determines the way that they feel.

In the case of Anxiety the emotions that we feel are the direct result of what we think or believe our experiences mean.

Common Anxiety Symptoms

• Increased heart rate
• An impending sense of fear or dread
• Feeling like you’re going to faint or pass out
• Feelings of dizziness
• Palpitations
• Fatigued Muscles
• Dry or Sticky mouth
• Sweating excessively
• Breathlessness
• Cramps in the Stomach
• Migraines and Headaches
• Sleep patterns becoming interrupted

You may have some or all of these symptoms, but it is important to remember that you may feel anxious in different ways to other people because of the subjective nature of human experiences.

You can take the standard GAD-7 Anxiety Test here.

How does CBT for Anxiety work?

Normally a programme of CBT for Anxiety takes place over a period of 10 to 20 weeks with an hour long session once per week.

Firstly, because the way you think about your day-to-day experiences is determined by your core beliefs, the early sessions of CBT for Anxiety involve exploring and measuring these beliefs.

Secondly, once you are able to uncover your core beliefs, your thoughts about certain experiences will make more sense.

Thirdly, by understanding how you have made sense of your experiences in the past you can then begin to make changes to your thoughts and beliefs in order to create new, and more useful, emotional outcomes.

CBT for Anxiety builds upon the 5 core CBT principles developed by Aaron Beck and are used extensively in our CORE Programme.

How many sessions of CBT will I need?

Whilst this is a diificult question to be precise about, most people will be able to overcome their Anxiety problems in around 10 sessions.

However, because CBT for Anxiety is always tailored to your own individual needs and circumstances, getting the outcome that you want may sometimes require more sessions.

If you have been suffering Anxiety problems for many years then in all likelihood, you can reasonably expect to take a bit longer to get where you want to be.

Our CBT for Anxiety programme is based on 10 sessions delivered over 10 weeks and uses an online learning platform for you to develop greater self-awareness and knowledge in the days between sessions.

How much does CBT for Anxiety cost?

Our CBT for Anxiety programme costs £799 which includes access to the online learning platform for a period of 16 weeks, 10 X 1 hour long sessions with Paul at the clinic in Wombourne or, if you prefer, via Zoom video sessions.

Paul is a post-graduate psychologist and holds both BSc. (Hons) and MSc. (Psych) degrees in applied psychology as well as a professional diploma in CBT.

He has been running Lee Psychology with Joan since 2009.