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cognitivebehavioraltherapy.com.au

CBT in Australia, from the official pages

Row 1 of 5 · What CBT is

What CBT is

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy, built on the idea that what you think affects what you do and how you feel. In CBT, healthdirect says, you work with a therapist to recognise the patterns of thinking and behaviour that cause you problems, and learn practical ways to form more helpful habits and break unhealthy ones.

General information, not medical advice. Call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency, or go to the emergency department of your nearest hospital. healthdirect’s page on CBT is the official place to read more. To check that a psychologist is registered, search Ahpra’s register of practitioners.

Two therapies

Cognitive therapy and behaviour therapy

The name describes its two parts. Victoria’s Better Health Channel says CBT combines two therapies, ‘cognitive therapy’ and ‘behaviour therapy’, and that it focuses on changing thoughts and behaviours that are unhelpful or unhealthy.

  • Cognitive therapy aims to change the way you think about an issue that is causing concern.
  • Behaviour therapy aims to teach you techniques or skills for changing your behaviour.

healthdirect gives one example from the behavioural side: activity scheduling, which it describes as regularly making time in the day for activities that are helpful or enjoyable.

The focus

Thoughts, feelings and behaviours

The Better Health Channel names the main focus of CBT as the way thoughts, feelings and behaviours combine to shape a person’s quality of life. Set out as three columns, this is how the two official pages describe each one.

Thoughts

CBT teaches skills for examining and checking unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, and healthdirect says these are skills you can use throughout your life.

Feelings

CBT aims to show you how your thinking affects your mood, the Better Health Channel says.

Behaviours

Behaviour therapy, the second half of CBT, aims to teach techniques or skills for changing behaviour.

Sessions

How CBT usually runs

Format
Private or group sessions, held in person or remotely.
Rhythm
Usually a session of one hour, once a week or once a fortnight. CBT can be structured and usually has a set end point.
Focus
Individual: healthdirect says your CBT will be specific to you and your needs, and focuses on solving problems you may be dealing with now.
Length
Neither page gives one fixed length. healthdirect says it depends on the person’s situation and on the treatment program agreed with the therapist, and the Better Health Channel says the number of sessions varies from person to person.

Points to weigh

What the Better Health Channel asks you to weigh

Under the heading ‘Issues to consider before choosing CBT’, Victoria’s Better Health Channel raises four points.

  1. Brain injury or disease

    CBT may not be the best choice of therapy for a person with a brain disease or injury of any type that impairs their rational thinking.

  2. Active participation

    CBT asks you to take an active part in treatment. You may, for example, be asked to keep detailed diaries of your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and the Better Health Channel says that someone not ready to do that work may find the results disappointing.

  3. A working relationship

    CBT involves working closely with your therapist, and professional trust and respect matter.

  4. Time

    CBT is considered a short-term form of psychotherapy, but it may still take months or longer to challenge and overcome unhealthy patterns of thinking and behaviour, and it may disappoint anyone looking for a ‘quick fix’.

Whether CBT suits a particular person is not something a general guide can say. healthdirect’s route to CBT starts with speaking to your doctor, and the official pages on CBT, linked at the foot of this page, describe the concerns it is used for in more detail.

Words

Words you may meet

Psychotherapy
healthdirect also calls it talk therapy, and says it is what psychologists focus on providing.
Cognition
The word healthdirect puts beside ‘patterns of thinking’ when it explains how CBT works.
Low-intensity CBT
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s term for the CBT its Medicare Mental Health Check In delivers through online tools.
Mental health treatment plan
A plan for people with a mental health condition. Services Australia says it lets you claim up to 10 individual and 10 group sessions each calendar year with an eligible mental health professional.
Telehealth
Sessions by video or phone, which Better Access covers where it is safe and clinically appropriate.

Referral

How people reach CBT

healthdirect’s advice for accessing CBT is to speak to your doctor, who can refer you on to a mental health professional, for example a psychologist, psychiatrist, mental health nurse or counsellor. Your doctor can also work with you on a mental health treatment plan if needed, which can help you get Medicare rebates for CBT. Better Access and Medicare sets out how that plan works.

One thing about the therapist is set in law: the title ‘psychologist’ is protected. Who can provide CBT covers the title and the register, and CBT online covers the Australian Government’s free online tools. If you need to talk to someone today, Help now lists the crisis lines, or return to the record on the home page.