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Yes, you can do Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) on your own. Although CBT is a form of psychological therapy often carried out by a therapist, the principles of CBT can be used by anyone to help themselves.

 

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What Does CBT Stand For?

 

CBT stands for cognitive behavioural therapy. ‘Cognitive’ refers to our thoughts, ‘behaviour’ to how we act physically (like staying in bed) as well as in the mind (rumination), and therapy (Greek: ‘therapeia’) means healing. CBT is based on the observation that our thoughts, behaviours and emotions tend to be interrelated, and that changing one of these leads to change the other two.

For example, if we think ‘I am useless’, we may respond with behaviours such as giving up on everything and stay in bed all day, and feel emotions such as sadness and shame. If we change the behaviour to doing things we are capable of, the thought may change to ‘at least I am able to do this’ and we may end up feeling a bit better too.

 

What Are The 3 Cs of CBT?

 

The three Cs are catch, check, and change. These are three steps you can take with a therapist or on your own.

These steps are presented here as a guide for using basic CBT principles to work towards healing or self-reflection. We’ll use low mood as an example.

 

1. Catch: Identify the problem or area for improvement.

 

a. CBT is typically a structured approach to healing. The basis of the structure is to identify a target problem or goal to work on.

b. This could include anything from a specific diagnosis given by a doctor, such as depression or anxiety, to identifying habits of thinking or acting that one wants to change. It could also be to add positives to one’s life, such as wanting more joy or being able to feel more content.

c. Example: A person may notice that they feel low in mood more than what is normal. A goal may then be set to lift the mood to some extent (for more information on goal setting in CBT – look up ‘SMART-goals’).

 

2. Check: Recognise thoughts, behaviours and emotions and check if they are helpful to you.

 

a. When working with a therapist, we have the luxury of having someone else to reflect our own thoughts, feelings and behaviours back to us. For example, you may hear a therapist say, ‘I hear that you think a lot about how life seems hopeless these days. I hear that you feel upset and like you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning.’ Such thoughts, feelings and behaviours can then be made note of and thus recognised more easily the next time they come up.

b. To recognise our own thoughts, feelings and behaviours, we need to take a step back from them and observe what the mind is doing in a given situation. It’s like we become our own therapist by asking ourselves, ‘what am I thinking about right now? How do I respond to those thoughts and how do they make me feel? And ‘Is this helpful?’

c. It can be helpful to write it down on paper and keep it visible to remind you another time when it comes up.

d. Example:

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3. Change: Break the cycle somewhere

 

a. People with low mood will often notice that their response to their thoughts and feelings involve some form of inactivity that confirms the thoughts. Breaking the cycle will typically involve doing something that contradicts the thoughts. For example, empty the dishwasher, go to a yoga class, or say something nice to someone you care about. The thought may then change to something like ‘I am able to do useful things’ or ‘I can make people smile’ and we may eventually start feeling better.

b. People with anxiety will often notice that their behaviours involve avoidance of what they are thinking about. For example, people who are afraid of birds avoid places where they might come across birds. This also becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, ‘when I avoid birds, I feel safe. That must mean that birds are unsafe.’ Breaking an anxiety cycle can involve gradually exposing oneself to the thing one worries about until the mind realises that it is safe, and the thought is either wrong or exaggerated.

c. As a rule of thumb, you want to act in a way that challenges an unhelpful thought.

 

Summary

 

The 3 Cs of CBT—Catch, Check, and Change—offer a practical and accessible way to begin addressing unhelpful thoughts and behaviours on your own. By identifying problematic patterns, evaluating their usefulness, and taking deliberate steps to break the cycle, you can create meaningful changes in your emotional well-being.

While self-directed CBT can be highly effective for many, some may benefit from the added insight and support of a trained therapist, particularly when dealing with more complex or severe challenges. Whether on your own or with guidance, CBT provides a powerful framework for healing, growth, and resilience.

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Dr Erlend Slettevold

Dr Erlend Slettevold is a Clinical Psychologist at The Oak Tree Practice. His qualifications include Psychology BSc, Psychology MSd and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.