FAQ

What is CBT?

What makes quality Cognitive Behavioural Therapy stand out from other forms of therapy or types of counselling is the emphasis on evidence based practice. For our clients this means that they are receiving quality up-to-date professional therapy based on the very latest research.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a way of helping people to cope with stress and emotional problems. It helps us to look at the connections between how we think, how we feel and how we behave. It particularly concentrates on ideas that are unrealistic. These often undermine our self-confidence and make us feel depressed or anxious. Looking at these unrealistic ideas can help us work out different ways of thinking and behaving that in turn will help us cope better. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy looks at how problems from the past are maintained in the “here and now”. It helps people to learn new methods of coping and problem-solving, which they can use for the rest of their lives.

What issues can it help?

Cognitive behavioural therapy is the treatment of choice for most of the psychological problems experienced by people.

Cognitive behavioural therapy has clear evidence of efficacy for the following:

• Depression
• Panic Disorder
• Agoraphobia
• Generalised anxiety disorder
• Specific phobias
  Social phobia
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Post traumatic stress disorder
• Bulimia
• Personality disorders
• Habit disorders
• Pain
• Chronic fatigue

With problems where research is limited, cognitive behavioural therapy still comes as the modality with the best evidence. For example with:

• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar affective disorders.
• Hypertension
• Low-self esteem
• Sex therapy.
• Nightmares
• Gambling
• Irritable Bowl Syndrome

That National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) the public agency that directs the NHS on best practice continuously recommends cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatments they produce guidance on.

Below you can download PDF versions of the guildines.

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Pain
• Sleep

How do I book an appointment?

We have developed a flexible accessing principle for our quality cognitive behavioural therapy service.

There are 3 ways to book an appointment or find out more about our services:

• Call us on 0207 929 7911 and have a chat today
• Complete the form below and we will call you back
• Drop us an e-mail at efficacy@londoncbt.co.uk

You may find the simplest way is to call us direct on 020 7808 7900 and talk to a member of our team. We can then book a time and location that is convenient to you. Alternatively you might want to arrange a telephone conversation with a therapist to see if an assessment is the next best step or not.

Appointments can also be arranged by email, referral from a GP, Psychiatrist, health care professional, employer, etc.

If you have a health care insurance policy (e.g., BUPA, AXA PPP, Cigna, etc.) then we can arrange authorisation with your provider.

How long will it take?

At the end of the assessment your therapist will discuss with you a proposed individualised treatment plan, including what is required from you, what will occur in sessions and time scale.

We find that people get better at different rates and it is difficult to estimate the number of sessions, however, typically it might take 6 sessions, over 1-3 months are offered for panic disorder, mild OCD and most sex therapy.

Depression and social phobia may take slightly longer with 12 sessions over 4 – 6 months.

Allowance is always made for the fact that people will get better at different rates and your therapist will review your progress at each session.

Life can be complicated when attempting to fit therapy into you life. We can adapt and change a programme that suites your changing needs.

How much does it cost?

We have a flexible and transparent fee structure, depending on time of day, location and experience of the therapist.

In cognitive behaviour therapy the number of sessions needed will be estimated following assessment. This means that if you are offered therapy, you will know what you might expect to invest, not just in terms of fees, but in time, commitment and effort.

You can review our current fees here.

How can I pay?

We offer flexible approaches to accepting your payment: accepting cash, all major credit cards, debit cards, cheque or bank transfer; paid at the end of each session or invoiced on account.

What happens at the end of my assessment?

At the end of the assessment session we will discuss with you what your treatment plan will include. We work with you to identify the problem and set some end of treatment targets. Your individualised treatment plan is based on the very latest evidence-based practice in cognitive behavioural therapy. Once you understand what your treatment entails you decide if our service is for you; if it is the right time for you or how you would like to progress. If you want to proceed we schedule your therapy according to your needs; we can provide appointments at various times that do not have to be weekly.

If, following your initial assessment, you and your therapist agree that that cognitive behavioural therapy is not appropriate, time will be given to discuss the reasons and alternative suggestions will be offered. These may include a different form of psychotherapy, seeing a specialist to discuss medication issues or perhaps recommending some literature.

What is BABCP Accreditation and why does it matter?

The BABCP is the British Association of Behavioural Cognitive Psychotherapists. It is the lead organisation for the theory, practice and development of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the UK. http://www.babcp.com/

BABCP Accreditation is the “Gold Standard” that every CBT Psychotherapist is striving to achieve. As an Efficacy client you can be reassured that your therapist has the necessary training and skills to ensure that you receive top quality professional therapy.

Any psychotherapist can be a member but to achieve accreditation with the BABCP demonstrates that the therapist has met the criteria outlined in their core profession, qualifications and clinical experience.

Research demonstrates that only pure CBT is effective, CBT blended into other therapy modalities (I.e. counselling, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy) is not proven. Our London CBT therapists only provide pure formulation driven CBT and at Efficacy, all our therapists are BABCP Accredited.

If you are not an Efficacy client, please make sure that you check with other services and therapists to ensure you receive the best treatment and care.

What happens in therapy?

Cognitive behavioural therapy is a talking therapy but usually the effective element of the therapy happens between your sessions. This is the element that makes cognitive behavioural therapy so effective with long term effects in the real world.

Generally speaking treatment sessions are structured by setting an agenda to help focus the sessions on your changing needs while keeping the sessions focussed on the presenting issues. Essentially this is a collaborative approach to problem solving that focuses on what is or is not working to come up with an agreeable action plan to test new ways of thinking, feeling or behaving. Most of us (but not all) know what are problems are and what we need to be doing, in these cases we focus on what is stopping you or what is getting in the way

Do I get a choice of therapist?

Yes, we are very flexible about what you need. Most people don’t mind what therapist they see but if you have a preference to see a therapist that matches your gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, first language, age, etc. then it is our job to accommodate your wishes if we can.

Can I speak to my therapist before my appointment?

Yes. Sometime we just want an assessment to find out if we need treatment and just want to get things moving. At others times we need to take time and decide what therapist is right for us. We have listened to the different ways our clients approach therapy and offer a flexible approach. If you would like to talk to a therapist before booking an appointment we welcome your call and have someone here on hand ready to answer your questions.

Can I speak to my therapist in a crisis?

If you are struggling between sessions it might be necessary to contact your therapist to help with using your CBT skills. Usually this can be done by email or with a quick call. If this flexible approach helps you then your therapist would welcome your call. However, your therapist will always have it in mind how contact between sessions are helping or hindering you in becoming your own therapist.

If it is anticipated that you may experience difficult periods then your therapist will work with you to develop a management plan.

Can I use my health care insurance?

Yes, we are covered by all major health care providers. We have a flexible approach and most clients prefer us to invoice your provider direct. We also have a practice manager that can arrange your provider authorisation or help you with the process.

Can you prescribe medication?

We have some prescribing therapists but if clients require medication we refer and/or liaise with external agencies (e.g., psychiatrist, a private clinic, your GP) to ensure you have a specialist in medication management. All our therapists are trained and are competent in monitoring patients taking medication as an adjunct to cognitive behavioural therapy.

Will my session be confidential?

Yes. Your therapist will only extend the parameters of confidentially if you tell us something that is an immediate danger to yourself or someone else. If your therapist is concerned for your safety they will discuss this with you. This will always be with the view of keeping you or someone else safe.

All our therapists are accredited with the BABCP and have a core profession registered with a professional body that have strict ethical codes of conduct relating to confidentiality.

If you do not want information passed on to anyone outside of Efficacy then we will respect your wishes.

Is my therapist qualified?

We have a highly trained and experienced team of 12 cognitive behavioural psychotherapists accredited with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP).

Some of our therapists hold dual positions with Efficacy and senior positions in the NHS or academic institutions. Positions in the NHS or academia involve managing or co-ordinating specialist cognitive behavioural therapy services.

An accredited cognitive behavioural psychotherapist will have had training as qualified registered health care professional prior to undertaking advanced cognitive behavioural psychotherapy training. So we have competently trained practitioners, providing reassurance that your well-being is in the hands of accredited and registered professionals.

Do you offer discounts or concessions?

As a training organisation we also have therapists on placement from Kings College London and the Institute of Psychiatry offering therapy at a reduced fee.

Our therapist offering concessional fees are usually qualified health care professionals (e.g., nurses, psychiatrists, GPs, Counselling psychologist, clinical psychologist, etc.)

Do you offer therapy to children?

We offer a specialist service for adults from 18 (or 16+ if they have left full time education). Children require a different set of skills and knowledge and we would recommend you contact a specialist children’s service.

Do I have to pay if I don’t attend?

Efficacy’s primary reason of existence and core value is to provide a first class flexible cognitive behavioural therapy service to all our clients. Therefore we have limited our cancellation policy / period to 48 hours.

Assessment sessions are paid in advance but life can unpredictable so sessions can be rearranged / refunded with 48 hours notice.