How We Work
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the most extensively researched psychological therapies in the world. It works by identifying the connections between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours — and helping you build more helpful patterns.
Evidence-based · NICE & APS endorsed · Practical tools · Creswick, Brisbane & Online
What Is CBT?
Changing patterns that maintain distress
CBT is based on the idea that how we think about a situation affects how we feel about it — and what we do in response. When we're struggling with anxiety, depression, or other difficulties, our thinking tends to become biased in unhelpful directions: catastrophising, overgeneralising, or seeing things in black and white. CBT helps identify these patterns and change them.
CBT is also highly practical. A significant part of the work happens between sessions — through structured exercises, behavioural experiments, and homework that helps you practise new ways of thinking and behaving in real life. This makes change more durable and grounded.
While CBT was developed decades ago, it continues to evolve. Modern approaches integrate mindfulness, schema work, and acceptance-based strategies, making it more flexible and effective for a wider range of presentations. At Bloom, CBT is used alongside trauma-informed approaches and never applied in a rigid, one-size-fits-all way.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help with
- ✓Anxiety and worry
- ✓Depression and low mood
- ✓OCD and intrusive thoughts
- ✓Phobias and fears
- ✓Social anxiety
- ✓Health anxiety
- ✓Sleep difficulties
- ✓Perfectionism and self-critical thinking
The Process
What CBT therapy looks like
Identifying thought patterns
Early sessions focus on understanding your specific patterns — the thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions that show up when you're struggling. Your therapist helps you develop the skill of noticing these patterns as they happen.
Testing and challenging unhelpful thoughts
CBT uses a range of techniques to examine unhelpful thinking — gathering evidence, considering alternative perspectives, and running behavioural experiments to test whether beliefs are accurate or helpful.
Building new patterns
Over time, you build a toolkit of strategies that become increasingly automatic. The goal isn't just to feel better in therapy — it's to develop skills you can use independently, long after therapy ends.
Therapists trained in Cognitive
Available locations
FAQ
Common questions about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
How many sessions of CBT will I need?
CBT is typically a shorter-term therapy — many protocols run for 8–20 sessions. However, when combined with trauma work or for more complex presentations, therapy may be longer. Your therapist will discuss a realistic timeframe with you.
Is CBT suitable for complex trauma?
Standard CBT protocols weren't originally designed for complex trauma, though trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT) has been developed for this purpose. At Bloom, we integrate CBT with trauma-informed and body-based approaches to ensure the work is safe and effective for trauma presentations.
Do I need a Mental Health Care Plan to access CBT?
A Mental Health Care Plan from your GP entitles you to Medicare rebates for sessions with eligible therapists. It is not required to access therapy, but it does reduce the cost significantly.
Ready to Begin?
Ready to change the patterns holding you back?
Book an appointment or reach out with any questions. We'll help you find the right therapist and the right approach.