Introducing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Introducing...) (23 page)

NHS Choices
http://www.selfhelpguide.nhs.uk

This website is the UK’s biggest health website, designed to give all the information you need to make choices about your health. NHS Choices is described as the online ‘front door’ to the NHS. It contains information about hundreds of different conditions, advice on healthy living and support for those looking after others.

National Institute of Mental Health
www.nimh.nih.gov

NIMH reports on research concerning a wide variety of mental health issues. They provide a range of educational materials on a wide variety of difficulties, as well as resources for researchers and practitioners in the field.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence
www.nice.org.uk

This is a government organization which makes information available about causes, prevalence, and treatments of disorders of both children and adults. It provides guidance, sets quality standards and manages a national database to improve people’s health and prevent and treat ill health. NICE makes recommendations to the NHS on new and existing medicines, treatments and procedures, and on treating and caring for people with specific diseases and conditions. In addition, NICE makes recommendations to the NHS, local authorities and other organizations in the public, private, voluntary and community sectors on how to improve people’s health and prevent illness and disease.

Netdoctor
www.netdoctor.co.uk

Netdoctor.co.uk is a medical information and health website which is a collaboration between doctors, health care professionals, information specialists and patients who believe that medical practice should be based on quality-assessed information and, wherever possible, on the basis of the principles of evidence-based medicine. They are an independent group of over 250 of the UK and Europe’s leading doctors and health professionals who write, edit and update the website. They also respond to users’ questions regarding general health concerns.

WebMD
www.webmd.com

This website has both UK and USA sections. It provides a vast array of information on both physical and mental health issues, including information about psychological treatments, drug therapy and prevention.

Treatment resources to take you a step further

Mindfulness based cognitive therapy
www.mbct.co.uk

This website provides additional information about mindfulness based cognitive therapy.

Be Mindful
www.bemindful.co.uk

This website will help you to find mindfulness courses and resources in your area.

Get Self Help
www.getselfhelp.co.uk

This website offers an absolutely vast selection of simply written, practical guides on CBT self-help, as well as information, resources and a wide selection of tools and techniques. It also includes therapy worksheets so you can track your progress. It’s designed and administered by a qualified CBT therapist with years of experience of working with people with mental health problems.

Cognitive Behavioural
Therapy.org

www.cognitivebehaviouraltherapy.org.uk

This site is aimed at those who would like to know about CBT, or who recognize that they are suffering from a depression or anxiety problem, and are seeking information and guidance.

The British Holistic Medical Association
www.bhma.org

This organization offers free podcasts on a number of topics including managing stress, wellbeing and work-related stress. They also provide information on health problems, mainstream and complementary treatments and self-care. In addition they are developing factsheets on common conditions for which complementary therapies and mind-body medicine may be of benefit. The organization is interested in the supporting evidence base and is open about where this may exist and where it does not. They also offer a range of self-help tapes.

Living Life to the Full
www.llttf.com

This website provides an interactive self-help life skills training package based on CBT for those with mild to moderate depression and anxiety. It also has a number of free downloadable resources.

The Mood Gym
www.moodgym.anu.edu.au

This is another free online self-help programme based on CBT. Again, this is likely to be most suitable for people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties. This is an Australian website but the online help is relevant to people in other countries.

Beating the Blues
www.beatingtheblues.co.uk

This is an online CBT treatment package for depression, recommended by the NHS for people with mild to moderate symptoms. It has a solid and established evidence base. This is not free to individual patients but can be accessed free of charge through IAPT and other psychological therapy services throughout the UK (see the ‘Finding professional help’ section earlier in this chapter). Ask your GP about this.

Fear Fighter
www.fearfighter.com

Like Beating the Blues this is an online CBT package with a strong evidence base recommended by the NHS. Again, it has to be accessed through NHS services such as IAPT and is less regularly offered than Beating the Blues. Discuss with your GP which services might offer this.

Online videos on CBT and mindfulness

The following are online videos which are used by a number of CBT therapists when teaching people about the advantages of using
mindfulness
(see
Chapter 6
) with more traditional CBT approaches. Just enter the whole address into your web browser to go to the podcast. Many of the above resources will also provide multimedia content.

Phillipe Goldin – ‘Cognitive neuroscience of mindfulness meditation’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf6Q0G1iHBI
This video shows how attending to the here and now can reduce distress. It gets into the more technical aspects of mindfulness and explains the brain and mind functions that meditation (attending to the present) works on. He describes the
narrative self
– and how we can believe the stories that we make about ourselves more than actual reality. Though it’s a bit technical at times, it’s worth watching all the way through.

Jon Kabbat-Zinn – ‘Coming to our senses’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvXFxi2ZXT0Jo
This video explains how people lose touch with themselves and get wrapped up in destructive behaviours and thoughts. If you can get through the lengthy introduction (and the poetry – not everyone’s taste) the discussion itself can be inspiring and yet stays really simple.

Acknowledgements

A book’s value is based on its usefulness to the reader. Ian McLeod, Visiting Professor of Law at Teesside University has provided invaluable input to enhance clarity and simplicity, contributing greatly in the usefulness stakes. Our very grateful thanks are expressed to Ian and also to Duncan Heath, our editor, and his team at Icon Books for their assistance in making this book amongst the most useful in enabling people to change.

We would also like to acknowledge the following people who have made particularly significant contributions to the development and practice of CBT and on whose work we have drawn:

Aaron T Beck, Judith Beck, Gillian Butler, David Clark, Albert Ellis, Paul Gilbert, Ann Hackman, John Kabat-Zinn, Paul Kennedy, Marsha Linehan, Stirling Moorey, Christine Padesky, Paul Salkovskis, Maggie Stanton, Richard Stott, John Teasdale, Adrian Wells and Mark Williams.

Dedication

No man is an island, it is said – nor woman either. We would like to thank the rocks surrounding us (you know who you are) who have given such support and encouragement in our writing – and in everything else. On your solid foundation we can stand firm and strong, deal with life, and enjoy!