Hello and welcome to these programmes which are aimed at putting you back in control of your life, college, work and play. They use a mixture of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Self Help, Personal and Business Coaching and common sense! The idea is to empower you to take control of your life. There is information to help understanding, but there are also lots of worksheets and practical things you can do, as well as real life hints and tips.

CBT is often delivered by a therapist on a one-to-one basis and there is nothing wrong with that. However not everyone has the time or money to do that and access to psychological therapies in the NHS are in short supply so there may also be long waiting lists. Because you will not have a therapist to engage with, you will need a little determination and commitment before you enrol. Scheduling time in your diary to sit down and go through the next week’s session is one technique that some people use. Whatever method suits you, with a little time and determination you will be using the techniques which help put you back in control.

It’s best to work through the sheets, information, podcasts and exercises at your own pace. Do one a week and do it well and you will soon be building up your self esteem and gaining control. You may find that new things are added from time to time to improve and update the information.

So what is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and can it help me? CBT is a way of talking about: How you think about yourself, the world and other people and how what you do affects your thoughts and feelings.

It has been found to be helpful in:
* Anxiety * Depression * Panic * Agoraphobia and other phobias * Social phobia * Bulimia * Obsessive compulsive disorder * Post traumatic stress disorder * Schizophrenia

CBT can help you to make sense of overwhelming problems by breaking them down into smaller parts. This makes it easier to see how they are connected and how they affect you.

How you think about a problem can affect how you feel physically and emotionally. It can also alter what you do about it. CBT can help you to change how you think (“Cognitive”) and what you do (“Behaviour)”. These changes can help you to feel better. Unlike some of the other talking treatments, it focuses on the “here and now” problems and difficulties. Instead of focussing on the causes of your distress or symptoms in the past, it looks for ways to improve your state of mind now.

Not everyone wants to be identified with the NHS or other services so we provide these courses entirely independently. We do advise you to let your GP or other healthcare provider know that you are doing a course, so that you can do it with their support, but if you wish to do it on your own, then they do stand alone.

If at any time you feel suicidal or experience suicidal thoughts then please contact your GP, other Healthcare provider or seek help at the nearest A&E department.