Cognitive therapy and CBT

Beck’s cognitive therapy, from which schema therapy evolved is a form of cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) that has been adapted to treat a wide range of psychological disorders.

David Edwards is a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy (ACT), an organization that promotes Beck’s approach to CBT.  The ACT website is a rich source of information on the status of current research on the effectiveness of CBT for a wide range of common problems.

He is also a member of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (BABCP).  The BABCP website also provides a great deal of useful information.

On the schematherapysouthafrica website, see the pages below:

• Cognitive therapy: Basic principles and methods
• Cognitive restructuring
• Cognitive distortions
• Conducting behavioural experiments
• 27 Questions to put to negative thoughts and help correct distortions
• CBT Worksheets

CBT Self-help resources

CBT offers a wide range of practical methods for bringing about change in behaviour and problematic emotions. You can learn about these from:

• Your therapist, who can guide you to the most useful methods for you and help you work with them.
• Books, audio CDs and downloads, and DVDs. For example
  • Robert Leahy’s Anxiety Free, The Worry Cure and Beat the Blues provide comprehensive updates on the wide range of CBT approaches to anxiety and depression.  See also his blog in the Huffington Post.
  • The Overcoming … series of books that deals with a large range of problems. This site has links to many other downloadable resources.
  • For children see the Can Do Duck  books – There is one directed at helping children traumatized by a hurricane available free.
  • Look at dozens more CBT self-books by going to www.amazon.co.uk or http://www.takealot.com or www.loot.co.za and search under Books for “CBT” or “cognitive-behavioural”.
• Other CBT self-help websites also provide excellent resources, which include videos and podcasts, Youtube links, self-help books for adults and children, relaxation CDs and DVDs and worksheets. Many of these resources are free to view online or download.
  • The Centre for Clinical Interventions of Western Australia
  • The Five Areas site based in the UK
  • Anxiety Disorders Association of British Columbia, Canada.
  • Psychology.tools: Offers a large array of self-help worksheets and ideas.

! Warning: Not everyone benefits from CBT methods in a self-help format !

In the same way, not everyone benefits from a therapy that is only based on CBT methods. So don’t be discouraged if you try to use these self-help resources and they don’t help as much as you had hoped. CBT approaches are not always the place to start and a therapist may help you look deeper into the source of your problems.  Schema therapists use an integrative approach which draws on CBT techniques but uses them in the context of carefully worked out understanding of the roots of your problems, as well as a strong working bond between client and therapist.