What We Can Treat
Depression & Low Mood
Depression often decreases the quality of life you live. The common symptoms of depression are; sadness, anxiety, panicky, more tired than usual or unable to sleep, angry or frustrated, not getting enjoyment out of life, feeling hopeless or worthless, guilt, not being able to concentrate on everyday things, having suicidal thoughts or thoughts about harming yourself. You may experience some or all of these symptoms. Depression is a common mental health problem which we can all experience at some point throughout our lives. Working with your therapist will allow you to improve your motivation and gain a better quality of life.
Trauma & Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Any situation which a person finds traumatic can cause PTSD, a few examples are; road accidents, an assault, marriage breakdown, illness/injury or childbirth. The traumatic event causes a psychological or emotional response to the situation. The common symptoms are; reliving the trauma, feeling like the incident is a current threat, experiencing nightmares or flashbacks, difficulty sleeping, fear, isolation, anger and frustration. CBT is recommended by NICE Guidance for the treatment of trauma and PTSD. You and your therapist will explore the traumatic memories allowing for them to be processed, reducing distress and further allowing an improvement of your quality of life.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety can be experienced in many different ways. The common symptoms of anxiety disorders are; uncontrollable racing thoughts, uncontrollable worries, extreme fear triggered by social situations, fear triggered by specific objects, dizziness, sweating, shaking, nausea, palpitations and panic attacks. Anxiety commonly occurs alongside other mental health problems but also by itself. CBT looks at the negative cycles of thoughts and behaviours you may be stuck in which often keeps the anxiety going. You and your therapist will break down your problems allowing an improvement in your anxiety symptoms.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is a common mental health condition The common symptoms are; obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviours and unwanted intrusions. Unwanted intrusions can appear as a thought or image which causes distress further leading to the unwanted obsessive thoughts, further leading to the neutralising behaviour to reduce the distress attached to the intrusion. OCD can affect men, women and children, symptoms often start around puberty or early adulthood but not always. CBT will allow you to understand your intrusions and the distress attached. You and your therapist will look at your obsessive compulsive thoughts and behaviours and find alternative evidence allowing for an improvement of your OCD.
Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder is having panic attacks which are reoccurring and regular for no apparent reason. It can present itself as an abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort which reaches a peak within minutes. Panic Disorder can present a number of difficulties such as interpersonal and occupational problems. Individuals who experience recurrent panic may avoid certain situations such as social situations, public transport, attending appointments, or going out in public altogether. This can have a negative impact as it can lead to withdrawal from friends, family, work and school. Clients usually feel that panic attacks ‘come out of the blue’. Panic attacks can occur at the same time as experiencing anxiety but can also begin during a calm state such as relaxing or engaging in an activity you typically enjoy. Common symptoms of panic attacks include; increased heart rate, pounding heart beats, chest pain, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, a choking sensation, nausea, dizziness, light headedness, numbness chills or heat, a feeling of being detached from oneself, fear of losing control and fear of dying. Alongside these symptoms it is common for people to also experience persistent worries or fear of having a panic attack, resulting in changes to routine or behaviours to avoid panic attacks. Panic Disorder is treatable and CBT is one of the most effective treatments for Panic Disorder.
Low Self Esteem
Self esteem is your overall opinion of yourself. This includes how you feel about your abilities and limitations. When you experience low self esteem, you put little value on your opinions and ideas. This can often lead to worry that you aren’t good enough. Self-Esteem begins to form in early childhood and can be influenced by many factors: -your thoughts and perceptions -how other people react to you -experiences at home, school, work and in the community -illness, disability or injury -age -role and status in society -media messages Our close relationships (parents, siblings, peers, teachers and other important contacts) are important to your self esteem. Many beliefs you have developed and currently hold about yourself today reflect messages you’ve received from these people over time. If you receive mostly negative feedback with frequent criticism, bullied or devalued by others you are more likely to struggle with low self esteem. Despite this, these experiences and influences do not have to be your destiny. Your own thoughts have one of the biggest impacts on your self esteem, and these thoughts are in your control. If you tend to focus on your flaws, weaknesses or looking at what always went wrong working on your self esteem and changing your thought processes can allow you to develop a more balanced and accurate view of yourself. Low self esteem can be improved and healthy self esteem can be developed within CBT.
Work Related Stress
Demands in the workplace can make you feel pressured and unable to cope, then the stress can become unbearable. It is estimated that in the UK alone nearly 18million working days are lost each year because of stress at work. Stress is a state of mind which affects your health in a variety of ways including anxiety and depression. Tight deadlines, too much work, too little work, too much responsibility, negative thoughts and emotions, lack of control over the work being done, target led tasks, conflicting priorities and major change are all common causes of work related stress. Pressure is part of work, it keeps us motivated and productive. However too much pressure, or pressure which lasts for a long time can lead to stress which undermines performance and can damage both physical and mental health. Stress can hit at anyone at any level of the business. Work related stress is widespread and is not confined to a particular sector, jobs or industries. There is a difference between pressure and stress. Pressure can be positive and a motivating factor, it is often essential in a job. It can enable us to achieve our goals and perform better. Stress occurs when this pressure becomes excessive. Stress is a natural reaction to too much pressure. Work related stress develops because a person is unable to cope with he demands being paced on them. It can be a significant cause of illness and can cause high levels of sickness absence, staff turnover and other issues such as more errors. Stress is experienced when the demands of work are perceived to be greater than your ability to cope. Stress can also come from having too little demands, you may become bored, feel undervalued and lack of recognition. If you have little or no say in the work you do or how you do it then this can also cause stress. stress affects everyone in different ways. What one person finds stressful can be normal to another. We as people will decide if we have the resources to cope with what the challenge is. If we decide we don’t have the resources we begin to feel stress. How we appraise the situation will depend on various factors including: -background and culture -skills and experience -personality -personal circumstances -individual characteristics -health status -ethnicity, gender, age or disability -other demands both in and outside work CBT can help with work related stress. We can assess your current coping mechanisms, thoughts about yourself and your perceived ability to cope. We can work together to develop healthier coping mechanisms, thoughts and improve your work related stress.
Addiction
An addiction is not having control over doing, taking or using something to the point it could cause you harm. Addiction is most commonly associated with gambling, drugs, alcohol and smoking but it is possible to be addicted to anything. Work, internet, solvents, shopping and sex can be other addictions. Addictions begin for many different reasons. Most commonly in regards to drugs/substances they affect the way you feel both mentally and physically. These feelings can be enjoyable and create strong urges to use these substances again. This is very similar for gambling which also results in a similar ‘high’ after a win. We then repeat the action to try and recreate the feeling. This can turn into a habit which is difficult to stop. When you are addicted to something by not having it can cause withdrawal symptoms or a ‘come down’. This can be difficult, meaning it is easier to carry on doing what you crave and then the cycle continues. Addictions can escalate and become out of control as you need more to satisfy the craving and achieve the high. Addictions can put a strain on your work life, relationship, family and finances. Addictions can also have serious physiological and physical effects. Being around others who also have an addiction can increase your risk of becoming and addict. Some research suggests another risk factor to becoming an addict is genetics. Addiction is treatable, CBT can help with addiction alongside any comorbid conditions such as anxiety or depression. CBT will allow you to look at your thoughts, behaviours and emotions which may be linked to maintaining your addiction.