Counselling Articles

Mindfulness: “Paying attention in a particular way: in the present moment, on purpose and non- judgementally” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

Introduction to Mindfulness

Mindfulness has its roots in Eastern meditation practices which are thousands of years old. The influx of these great traditions into the West provided psychologists not only with an expanded view of the self and of human potential, but also with effective techniques for focussing the mind and managing negative thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

Mindlessness

Many people spend much of their lives in a state of ‘mindlessness’ in which attention is allowed to freely wander from the present, swept away by whatever thought is arising at that moment – often ruminations about the past or fantasies about the future. This can be counter-productive, since focussing attention on the past and future can lead to feelings of guilt/resentment or fear/anxiety. Ironically, people often try in vain to resolve these negative thoughts by giving them even more attention and going around in a vicious circle (obsessions), or even acting them out (compulsions). (more…)

Why is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy becoming so popular with people seeking counselling? What are the limitations of this form of therapy, and is it suitable for everyone?

Factors behind the increasing popularity of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Accessibility

A major factor behind the popularity of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is its accessibility. There has been a big increase in the number of CBT therapists available on the NHS – in 2007, the government earmarked £173m to train an extra 3,600 therapists in the approach by 2010 (figures from The Independent, link at the end of the article) Furthermore, following the trend there has been an increase in health insurance providers who cover talking therapy as part of their healthcare policies.

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PressRelease: London, 24 March 2010. Enquiries have continued to grow for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) since Harley Therapy, a therapy service in Central London, first observed a growing trend in 2006. More established talking therapies, such as psychodynamic, gestalt, existential, person-centred or psychoanalytic therapy now appear to have been overtaken by CBT.

45% of enquiries for adult individual therapy (not including couples therapy, or child & adolescent counselling)) over the past 3 months have been for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy rather than any other therapeutic approaches on offer.

Clinical Director, Dr Sheri Jacobson believes that the popularity of CBT stems partly from the government’s roll out of CBT programs incorporated in the IAPT initiative (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies). (more…)