Author Archives: James Hardie

CBTReferee iPhone App Review

By James Hardie | Published: October 3, 2011

CBTReferee is an iPhone app that helps the user to record unhelpful thoughts, following a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) approach. This tool focuses on the thought diary element of the thought challenging exercise which is a common strategy in CBT interventions. I read some of the CBTReferee website before purchasing this app and I really […]

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Stress Control Classes

By James Hardie | Published: September 23, 2011

Stress Control classes were developed by Dr Jim White from the Glasgow Steps team. The course is designed to be delivered as a series of public lectures, and in Glasgow I understand that they have been able to get upwards of 100 attendees. The style of the Stress Control classes does not encourage questions from participants, […]

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CBT Apps for iPhone

By James Hardie | Published: September 12, 2011

As part of a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) approach, it is quite usual for a therapist to suggest homework exercises for a client to undertake between sessions. In order to support some of these you can get smart phone app – to remind you, make it more fun or interesting, and to make sure that […]

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15 ways to make self help books and web resources work better

By James Hardie | Published: September 9, 2011

A quote from Chris Williams (2008), taken from the Good practice guidance on the use of self-help materials within Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services. Set aside a time and place to work on your project everyday. Don’t drink alcohol or nibble while working on your plan. Tea, coffee or juice are OK though. Get […]

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Words

By James Hardie | Published: September 2, 2011

Words have meaning. Different words can have the same meaning, and the same word can have different meanings. Our individual perception and understanding of words is influenced, among other things, by our past experience and context. That is what this video from Everynone demonstrates so beautifully. Good communication is important. When someone uses certain words […]

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Beating the Blues – computerised CBT

By James Hardie | Published: August 30, 2011

In the past I have worked within services which have been able to provide computerised Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (cCBT). I supported individuals who had completed the eight sessions of the ‘Beating the Blues‘ course for anxiety and depression. It’s my understanding, based on the recommendations of NICE guidelines, that this method of delivering Cognitive Behaviour […]

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Online Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) via Skype

By James Hardie | Published: August 24, 2011

In order to increase the accessibility and availability of psychological therapies, it is my intention to offer my clients the option of having sessions of online Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) via Skype. There is an increasing trend towards providing psychological therapy services that are more convenient to access and more efficient to deliver. I believe […]

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Fear of Flying

By James Hardie | Published: August 23, 2011

I studied methods of delivering treatment for fear of flying (aero phobia) as part of my Masters dissertation. Specifically I was looking at the use of virtual reality technology . Encouraging a person to become increasingly familiar with a situation or experience which has caused them anxiety, fear or concern in the past, can help […]

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Stress Tips iPhone App Review

By James Hardie | Published: August 22, 2011

Anxiety UK recently released a free iPhone app called ‘Stress Tips‘ (sponsored by Pfizer life). It’s a simple app with some good advice delivered through short audio messages which you can listen to by pressing the prominent on-screen ‘panic button’. The app has an occasional ‘donate now’ pop-up, and a helpful list of organisations to call […]

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What is Cognitive Therapy?

By James Hardie | Published: August 22, 2011

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a a combined and complimentary approach which incorporates elements of Cognitive Therapy, which looks primarily at thoughts, and Behavioural Therapy, which focuses on actions. Cognitive Therapy aims to maintain rational and balanced thinking. In doing so, irrational thoughts, negative thoughts or biased thoughts are deliberately and systematically identified using a […]

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