COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy stresses the collaborative working relationship between client and consultant/therapist. Goals, strategies and interventions are discussed openly and usually made transparent and both, client and therapist, are seen as active and equally responsible for the progress of therapy. The aim is that through the process of therapy and the help of the therapist, the client will hopefully become more able to make more active choices and identify more options for behaviour change.The therapy is resource-orientated and the person is seen as already bringing a multitude of skills into the therapy which might need identifying, recovering, amending, shaping in order to live a more satisfying life. The therapist endeavours to assist the client in developing the necessary skills he/she needs to get closer to their goals. This process often continues after the end of the therapy. The therapy is usually more structured and often incorporates ‘homework’ practice between the sessions.
Iris also integrates newer developments of CBT in her work such as MINDFULNESS. The Mindfulness approach aims to help a person to relate to their own thoughts or feelings in a different way e.g. by creating a 'distance' from ruminative thoughts thereby opening up different options of how to react (‘stop & think’). It uses the breath as a means to ‘anchor’ oneself and focus attention and can therefore also help with relaxation even though its main aim is not relaxation but awareness.
Mindfulness means gaining more awareness for oneself and one’s behaviours and by doing so, stepping out of the automatic behaviour patterns we are often operating in and making new choices (rather merely reacting to what is going on).
