Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a type of talking therapy.
It is based on scientific research and works well for many problems.

How CBT works

In CBT, you and your therapist work together.
You look at how your:

• Thoughts (what you think)

• Feelings (how you feel)

• Behaviours (what you do)

all connect.

Thoughts (Cognitive)

CBT helps you notice your thoughts.
Especially the quick, automatic ones.

These thoughts can shape how you feel about:

• Yourself

• Other people

• The world

You learn to understand and question these thoughts.

Behaviours (Actions)

When people feel distressed, they often:

• Avoid things

• Do less

• Get stuck in unhelpful patterns

These can keep problems going.

CBT helps you gently try new behaviours.
For example:

• Facing fears step by step

• Learning new ways to cope

What CBT aims to do

CBT helps you to:

• Reduce distress

• Understand your thinking

• Change unhelpful patterns

• Build useful skills

It focuses mainly on the here and now,
but also considers past experiences.

Working together

CBT is active and practical.

• You set goals together

• You learn skills you can use in daily life

• You may try things between sessions

• You review what works and adjust

Who CBT is for

CBT can help anyone.
It is suitable for people of all backgrounds, cultures, and abilities.

Rumination Focused CBT (RFCBT) is a type of therapy.
It helps people who get stuck overthinking or going round in circles with their thoughts.

What is rumination?

Rumination means:

• Replaying things again and again

• Over-analysing problems

• Asking “why?” over and over

• Feeling stuck in your thoughts

This often makes people feel:

• More anxious

• More low in mood

• More overwhelmed

How RFCBT works

In RFCBT, you and your therapist work together to:

• Notice when rumination is happening

• Understand what triggers it

• Learn how to step out of it

A key idea

It’s not just what you think
It’s how you think

RFCBT focuses on changing your thinking style, not just the content.

Unhelpful vs helpful thinking

Rumination is often:

• Abstract (“Why am I like this?”)

• General (“This always happens to me”)

• Judging (“What’s wrong with me?”)

RFCBT helps you move towards thinking that is:

• Practical (“What can I do next?”)

• Specific (“What happened this time?”)

• Action-focused

What you learn

RFCBT helps you:

• Break the habit of overthinking

• Shift your attention more flexibly

• Respond differently to difficult thoughts

• Build more helpful thinking patterns

What it aims to do

The goal is to help you:

• Feel less stuck

• Reduce anxiety and low mood

• Feel more in control of your mind

How it feels in practice

RFCBT is practical and active.

• You learn simple strategies

• You try them in real life

• You review what works

Who it can help

RFCBT is especially helpful for:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Repetitive negative thinking

• People who feel “stuck in their head”

• People who have OCD / BDD / Emetophobia

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a type of therapy.
It is most commonly used to help with OCD and anxiety.

The basic idea

ERP helps you to:

• Face fears gradually (Exposure)

• Resist unhelpful habits (Response Prevention)

What is “Exposure”?

Exposure means:

• Gently facing something that causes anxiety

• Doing this in small, manageable steps

• Repeating it over time

This helps your brain learn:

👉 “I can cope with this”
👉 “This feeling will pass”

What is “Response Prevention”?

This means:

• Not doing the usual behaviour that reduces anxiety short-term

For example:

• Not checking

• Not avoiding

• Not seeking reassurance

Why this helps

When you don’t do the usual response:

• Anxiety may rise at first

• Then it naturally comes down

Over time, your brain learns:

👉 The fear is not as dangerous as it feels
👉 You don’t need the behaviour to feel safe

What you learn

ERP helps you to:

• Break the cycle of fear and habits

• Build confidence in handling anxiety

• Feel more in control

What it looks like in practice

• You plan steps with your therapist

• You start small and build up

• You practise between sessions

• You review progress together

Important to know

• It is done at your pace

• You are supported throughout

• You are never forced into anything

Who it can help

ERP is especially effective for:

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Anxiety disorders

• Phobias