Yes its here again and boy do we love it! But this comes with a mixed bag of goodies ranging from many pleasures and pressures placed upon this season of good will

Stress what is it? Well it affects us in 3 areas. 1st it affects your thoughts and the more negative they are then has a spiraling effect on behaviour and emotions

The 2nd area is behaviour, it can disturb sleep, eating patterns, relationships and interfere in the way communication is delivered

3rd and final area is emotions, feelings like anxiety, hurt, depression can become more common and leading to poor self care and an increase in comfort behaviours like eating which then can increase weight. The cycle then continues with Negative Automatic Thoughts (NATs) about the weight gain and then an increase in self defeating behaviours

How can I reduce my Stress? Well prioritize what is important to you this Christmas and look at the bigger picture when you list the priorities. Is it important to fight over the last Turkey in the supermarket or will it help you to be calm to have a smaller Turkey or try something new and enjoy the company of the people. At the end of the day Christmas is one day and meant and is a time for enjoying the company of others and reflect on the positive aspects of the year and looking forward to the next!

Employee Assistance Programs have long been linked with problem solving and dealing with the crisis presented. But here at the Wellbeing Centre the focus is on prevention and developing a focus that enables the individual to not have the crisis and avert it. It may be that a worker is developing an higher than usual absentee record and the traditional route would be to help when it reaches crisis point, which may be too late and be costly to the company paying for sick leave

The way forward is to aid workers to be taking steps to prevent damage and aid wellbeing which then reduces the need to take sick days. It is this way that proves more effective and reduces the cost to business and corporate industry

Why choose CBT in the City? The UK Health and Safety Executive has stated that ‘Work-related stress, depression or anxiety is the leading cause of working days lost through work-related injury or ill health, with an estimated 12.5 million days a year lost in 2003/4′

Mental illness is widely underestimated and it is estimated that 280 million consultations with a general practitioner each year, 30% are related to mental ill- health 3 in 10 people have sick leave from work related to their mental health

Each year 91 million working days are lost due to mental ill-health and 1 million people are on long term sick-leave due to mental illness, and of those on sick-leave for more than 1 year, less than 5% return to work. The cost to the economy of mental ill health is of the order of £77bn per annum

The focus has to be on wellbeing programs to help before the disaster. Investment in employees is the way forward and the possibility of sick leave will reduce considerably. Here at the CBT in the City we have programs to tackle procrastination, How to develop resilience, Time management and other such issues that may arise which our programs can tackle

If left then they can develop into stress related conditions that escalate leading to sick leave

Contact our Executive Wellbeing Practitioners on 02075588894

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is specialist area of psychological therapy which bases its foundation on traditional CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) methods with mindfulness techniques and the multi disciplines of Buddhism. The individual can be mentored in the managements of accepting thoughts and feelings without delivering judgement or boxing negative memories of experiences to the back of the mind

The core intentions of MBCT is not necessarily to generate relaxation and happiness but rather to alongside develop a “freedom from the tendency to let ones self be drawn into automatic reactions to thoughts, feelings, and events beyond ones control” which may become negative, stressful or troublesome to recall

The benefits are now proven within PET scans which are pictures of the brain when engaging in the Mindfulness approach. The images have shown significant reduction in the distress levels within certain areas of the brain that processes emotions

The main benefit of using MBCT techniques is the ability to prioritise learning the self discipline of how to pay attention and concentrate with purpose in mind, in moments which may cause concern without judgment or stress. With our Mindfulness based CBT programs our clients can learn to recognise that holding onto some of these feelings can be ineffective and mentally destructive to one wellbeing

If you would like more information on our Mindfulness based Therapy sessions please contact us and find out about how this approach can be a preventative measure rather than a reactive measure to take

Mindfulness program call 02074671508 For Executive Wellness programs please call 02075588894

For Employee Assistance Programs please also call 02074671508 and you will be directed
through to the Clinical Director

CBT in the City contact 02074671508

With many pressures on the work force it is vitally important to aid the employees of your company to remain well so that productivity can remain at a high standard. This edition of the newsletter is the Business Edition to raise awareness to the potential of using our Executive Wellbeing programs
Rather than wait for a person to become ill and deal with it which is a huge cost to the business budget, why not try preventative measures which will prove to be more effective and efficient in the long term forecast. Employee Assistance Programs have been in existence for many decades but here in lies the problem, they are problem orientated and not solution focused from the beginning and being an enabler

The employee becomes unwell and they have a label of being mentally ill, or physically unwell leading to a chronic label when in fact the earlier signs may have been stress related and by attending a workshop or lifestyle wellness class could have made a few adjustments to their life which may not have led to a label. These labels do not help but they are around which can affect employment options for the employee later on in their career. Surely a contented workforce is one that will work hard and bring about a profit for the company

If they are left to struggle and ‘get on with it’ then this attitude will lead to a costly bill which in the current economical climate just does not make financial sense. Lets turn the tide and use the current difficulties to your advantage and be an enabler which will bring profit not only financially but also in the lives of the workforce who will want to be part of the vision you hold

When I first considered doing CBT I was going through a very tough time characterised by excessive worrying and states of extreme anxiety. This was severely impacting on the quality of my life to the point that even simple, ordinary tasks felt like a big burden which in turn led to inaction

When I started the CBT it was important for my motivation to set clear and specific objectives and attach a timeline to them

Through a number of real-life experiments together with the therapist I started to re-educate my mind. The practical element was paramount as it showed me the lack of real substance of most of those beliefs that were responsible for causing states of anxiety. I soon realised that it was mainly down to me what I wanted to achieve and got rid of the erroneous conviction that the success of the therapy mainly depended on the therapist

A combination of raising-awareness discussions and real-life experiments gradually softened my mind and my approach to problems. Progressively I was taking ownership of my life whiles at the same time excessive worrying and anxiety were fading in the background

By the time I finished my 14/15 sessions over a period of 4 months I felt much better, however the full benefit of the therapy only emerged further down
the line when I realised that I had gained a new, more flexible approach to my life on a permanent basis and not simply a quick win on the wave of the therapy.”

For more information on treatment for worry/Generalised Anxiety Disorder call now on 020 74671508 or email contact@cbtinthecity.com

Once you have assessed your Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANT’s) then you need to reduce conviction in them. Rate you conviction level of how much you really believe it out of 100% this being the highest level of convictionDispute you ANT’s or core beliefs by using empirical, logical and practical disputing questions. For this exercise see how many practical disputes you can discover. Let me start you now with the following: How does thinking this way help me? What are the advantages of thinking this way? What are the disadvantages of thinking this way?

Now rate you conviction level again and hopefully there will be a reduction. Continue to do this until the level is as low as 30%. Now you need to find an Alternative Realistic Thought (ART’s) or helpful core belief and ask yourself practical questions to develop conviction it. So in the beginning conviction is 0% but then after the exercise then rate again your conviction level. Repeat until conviction level has been built upto 70%

For CBT skills lesson pack then contact the office on 020 74671508

Compulsive hoarding is a mental disorder that affects up to one person in every two hundred in the UK. It is classed by some as a type of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) although there is a new school of thought that believes that it differs from general types of OCD, and that it should be treated as an illness in its own right. But what exactly is compulsive hoarding, and why can it be so damaging?

Compulsive hoarding is not just a whimsical notion to collect certain items. It is far more serious, and in its most chronic manifestations it gets totally out of control and ruins lives; not only the lives of the individuals cursed with compulsive hoarding syndrome, but also the lives of those who may be unfortunate enough to cohabit with them, and even the safety of their neighbours. A compulsive hoarder is not simply someone who is lazy, or negligent. Chronic hoarders are suffering from a neuropsychiatric illness that will not go away unless professional help is sought

The consequences of hoarding are horrific and can be literally fatal. One of the most infamous cases of hoarding was the American Collyer brothers. Way back in 1947, their bodies were discovered in their crumbling New York City mansion, where they had lived surrounded by an amazing 100 tons of clutter, some of which subsequently fell on top of them crushing them to death. Only last year a woman was smothered to death when a huge pile of clothing fell on her. There have been many instances of fires being caused by inflammable clutter which has in turn caused the deaths of several hoarders who were tragically unable to escape in time because doorways and passages in their homes were totally obscured by piles and piles of clutter

Compulsive hoarding can strike anyone of any age, gender, or background. It is treatable, but it can be quite difficult in some cases to get a hoarder to acknowledge that their clutter presents any form of problem. The other problem is that professional help, via cognitive behavioural therapy, but not every therapist knows how to treat the problem and so it is important to find a specialist CBTer.

In terms of the type of clutter that hoarders amass, it can be anything and everything. The items may have some value, but in many cases the items are no more than junk, often being broken beyond repair and therefore useless. But a typical hoarder will perceive that the object may one day come in useful

Most people for example will throw their old newspapers away into their recycling bin, but by comparison, a hoarder will hold on to those old papers believing them to be a source of potentially useful, and maybe even life changing information. When newspapers are thought of in this way by a hoarder, it becomes possible to understand that to discard them may seem an act of sheer recklessness, and would be seen by them as being both wasteful and foolish. The mere thought of discarding them will cause the hoarder much grief and soul searching

Of course any kind of organisation quickly becomes impossible. In the beginning it may be possible to loosely categorise things and stow them logically, but with continual compulsive hoarding, the sheer volume of growing clutter becomes unmanageable, and it is gets put anywhere where space permits. One of the symptoms of a compulsive hoarder is one of procrastination. They can be reluctant, and in some cases unable to reach decisions. One reason for not putting things away is the desire to be able to see them at all times so they do not become forgotten. In other instances, what starts out by harmlessly leaving a few items of clothing on top of a chest of drawers instead of inside them, can in time become a veritable mountain of clothing causing danger from smothering (as mentioned above), and of course representing a potential fire hazard

There is also a danger of infection. Old clothes left lying around for months will get damp and collect mildew. This can irritate those who suffer from allergies and conditions such as asthma. Old empty food containers and even food leftovers will attract rodents, and their droppings and urine are a constant source of potentially serious infection.

The mountains of clutter left lying around can also interfere with the proper function of things in the house. Fireplaces become unusable, and winters can be very cold and uncomfortable in hoarder’s houses, and even toilets and bathrooms become overrun with clutter. Cluttered houses are dangerous places for children, and also for the elderly who will have extreme difficulty trying to navigate themselves around and through the chaos

But it is not only the hoarders themselves who are in danger, their clutter also represents a fire hazard to neighbour’s houses, and also to any members of the emergency services who are called to the house to deal with fires or other emergencies

There is also a financial consideration. To de-clutter a chronic hoarder’s house is quite an expensive operation, and if the hoarder cannot finance it him/herself, then the local council has to step into the breach and use taxpayer’s money. Of course there is no guarantee that the house won’t revert back to becoming a rubbish tip again

For more information CBT for Hoarding Related Beliefs and Behaviors Excessive Acquisition

The good news however is that CBT treatments (as mentioned in an earlier paragraph), have shown successful results. It is not normally possible to truly rid a hoarder of his/ her compulsion altogether, but a structured CBT program can help a hoarder to manage their condition. They are taught to recognise and analyse their compulsions in a way that makes it possible to resist them, perhaps not 100%, but to really put a limit on adding to their clutter, whilst at the same time making it possible for the hoarder to be able to consider gradually discarding and reducing the size of their hoard. For help with Hoarding then please contact the office today on 0207 467 1508 and ask to speak with Matt Broadway-Horner

To book an appointment then speak with Nuala Asad Our group therapy is called The Hoarders group which can be a option that can be combined with 121 therapy and home
treatment. tel: 02074671508 / 02075588894 or email: contact@cbtinthecity.com

Once you have assessed your Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANT’s) then you need to reduce conviction in them. Rate you conviction level of how much you really believe it out of 100% this being the highest level of conviction Dispute you ANT’s or core beliefs by using empirical, logical and practical disputing questions. For this exercise see how many practical disputes you can discover

Let me start you now with the following:
How does thinking this way help me?
What are the advantages of thinking this way?
What are the disadvantages of thinking this way?

Now rate you conviction level again and hopefully there will be a reduction. Continue to do this until the level is as low as 30%. Now you need to find an Alternative Realistic Thought (ART’s) or helpful core belief and ask yourself practical questions to develop conviction it. So in the beginning conviction is 0% but then after the exercise then rate again your conviction level. Repeat until conviction level has been built upto 70%

For CBT skills lesson pack then contact the office on 020 7558 8894

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable and often irrational worry about everyday things that is disproportionate to the actual source of worry. This excessive worry often interferes with daily functioning, as individuals suffering GAD typically anticipate disaster, and are overly concerned about everyday matters such as health issues, money, death, family problems, friend problems, relationship problems or work difficulties

Individuals often exhibit a variety of physical symptoms, including fatigue, fidgeting, headaches, nausea, numbness in hands and feet, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, bouts of difficulty breathing, difficulty concentrating, trembling, twitching, irritability, agitation, sweating, restlessness, insomnia, hot flashes, and rashes and inability to fully control the anxiety. (ICD-10, a bible for diagnosis for Professional health practitioners)

These symptoms must be consistent and on-going, persisting at least six months, for a formal diagnosis of GAD to be introduced Approximately 6.8 million American adults experience GAD,) and 2% of adult Europeans, in any given year, experience GAD

For more information on therapy for Worry call 020 7467 1508 and find out individual therapy. Our group therapy is called The Worry group which can be a option that can be combined with 121 therapy

I was in a pretty bad way when I first walked into the clinic. I was suffering from constant anxiety, angry to others and acting unpredictably with those who loved me. I owe a debt of gratitude to my CBT therapist and I am more than happy to write this short testimonial as my hope is that others use CBT in the City to address their problems. I and my family are in a more consistent space in my life and with the use of IRRT I was able to address my troubling issues that did plague me and contaminate my experiences

The IRRT helped me to rest some of my torment that I had suffered for many years. I am now able to enjoy my sleep and enjoy and allow myself to be happy. I am a mother and I now feel that I will not repeat the troubles my mother had with me. My mother would constantly beat me at times when things in the house were out of order

Order was very important to my mother and I never had a warm relationship with her because she was so frightening and cold. My relationship with my daughter has been hot and cold but mainly cold and she is 4 yrs old. I am in a better space now and for the last 6 months

I have had fun and enjoyed being a mother and long may it continue. Thank you