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The
British
Psychological
Society

Assoc of Child
Psychologists
in Private
Practice

What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?

CBT assumes that the way that children and young people think affects how they feel and behave. Sometimes people develop ways of thinking that are unhelpful and lead them to have emotional difficulties such as excessive worry or low mood that impact on their daily life. These unhelpful thoughts can also influence a persons’ behaviour.

CBT with children and young people uses talking and creative strategies to identify and challenge those unhelpful thoughts (cognitions) and create more helpful ones. It also helps the child or young person to challenge and change any behaviours that support unhelpful thoughts (for example avoidance of anxiety provoking situations).

The following examples show how the same situation can lead to different thoughts, feelings and behaviours, unhelpful on the left and more helpful on the right. CBT seeks to help children and young people who have unhelpful thoughts develop the more helpful ones.

Situation:	Hearing a noise at night
Thought:	There’s a burglar in the house.	The cat must have knocked something over.
Feeling:	Fear, anxiety.	Neutral.
Behaviour:	Wakefulness, Tearfulness. Unwilling to separate at bedtime.	Roll over and return to sleep.

Situation:	Passing a friend in the street who does not acknowledge me
Thought:	I must have done something wrong to upset them.	They’re probably distracted by something and didn’t see me.
Feeling:	Bad about myself. Low mood & confidence.	Neutral.
Behaviour:	Reticence about talking to friend. Withdrawal/Avoiding social situations with that friend.	Talk and be with friend as before.

More information about CBT and research into its helpfulness can be found on the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Web site.

Telephone: 0788 3858773

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