Contact Details

CBT Plymouth, 4th Floor,
Salt Quay House, Sutton Road, 
Plymouth PL4 0HP

Tel:01752 358515
Email: bea@cbtplymouth.co.uk

arranging an assessment

The purpose of the assessment is for me to find out all about you and your problem so that I can tell you if I can help you and what therapy will involve. I will also give you an information sheet to read and sign if you wish to go ahead with therapy.

The assessment session will take up to 1.5 hours and is different from usual therapy sessions as this session is longer and I will be trying to find out as much as possible about you and your problems, which means I shall need to ask you lots of questions.

The questions I will be asking you will be about your problem and about your life now and your past history, including what life was like for you when you were growing up.

All of this information helps me to understand how your problem works and how it is maintained so that we can start to develop a shared understanding of your problem and how it effects your life.

Sometimes, if the problem or history is complex the assessment may need to stretch into a second session in order for me to gain a full picture of your difficulties. However, after the initial assessment session all other sessions will be charged at the session rates.

THERAPY SESSIONS

Therapy sessions last up to 60 minutes and it is important that we make best use of our time together so it is important that sessions are structured to help us maintain focus.

Generally I will ask you to complete some questionnaires relevant to your problem prior to the start of the session, this will allow us to monitor your progress and direct therapy. It is helpful if you are able to arrive a few minutes before your session begins so that you can complete the questionnaires without them eating into your session time.

CBT requires a collaborative approach. After the first 2-3 sessions I would like you to start to contribute more to the sessions by way of reporting back on homework and highlighting any thoughts or difficulties you may have had.

There may be specific things that you wish to talk about in session and I will ask you to think about this before each session so that we can make sure we include those points.

Homework is an important part of CBT and research suggests that people who complete homework do better in therapy. I know that sometimes it may seem a bit of a burden but if you can put a little time aside for it and to think about your next session it will help you.

It is really important that you tell me what is working and what is not and I will ask you for feedback during and after each session so that I know if we are going in the right direction. If you are not happy with what we are doing it is really important that you tell me as soon as possible so that we can try to make the necessary changes.

As time goes on I hope you will feel able to take more responsibility for the sessions so that when our therapy sessions finish you will feel confident to carry on as your own therapist.

WHAT TO DO NOW 

I know that taking this first step is often quite anxiety provoking especially if you have not had therapy before. So If you think you would like some more information before booking an assessment perhaps one of the following might help.

- Ring Bea on 01752 358515 for an informal chat. If I am not available when you ring please leave me your telephone number and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Alternatively you can email me -bea@cbtplymouth.co.uk 

- Look at the General Public Area
- Find a Therapist on the BABCP website. 

Click here to visit the BABCP website
Click here to visit the OCD Action website

TO BOOK AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT 

Once you are happy to go ahead, ring Bea on 01752 358515 to arrange your assessment or email me - bea@cbtplymouth.co.uk