Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist.
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There are many benefits of CBT in the workplace. High levels of stress and mental health issues are the cause of more than half of all working days lost every year, according to research by the Health and Safety Executive, UK. It is understandable that efforts to support employees’ mental wellbeing have been pushed up the occupational health agenda over recent years.
With ever-increasing sick leave and people quitting their jobs because of workplace stress, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has found its way into the workplace.
Not only is its use for tackling Stress, anxiety, and depression supported by NICE, ( the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence), clinical evidence suggests that better access to professional CBT support can help reduce time spent off work due to ill health.
CBT is a short term therapy that helps people to recognise and address negative thought processes and behaviours. It focuses on the here and now rather than the past. It is solution focussed and evidence based. The aim is to relieve the symptoms of mental health by focusing on how problems are perceived, and how this can affect how people feel, physically and emotionally.
Therapists will encourage stressed employees to discuss how they think about themselves, other people – work colleagues for example – and the world around them. They will also teach them to think about how their actions affect their thoughts and feelings.
CBT tells us that when we’re feeling low in mood we are more likely to jump to negative conclusions. CBT teaches that when we change our thoughts and actions then our feelings will change and improve.
For the millions people of working age, experiencing common mental health problems such as depression, anxiety or sleep disturbance, CBT can be one of the most effective treatments. According to the The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the most effective psychological treatment for moderate and severe depression and can also work alongside antidepressant medications.
With an increasing number of healthcare providers having added CBT to their product ranges, referrals can be offered to staff through the HR Department.
Employees will usually first need to be assessed by a medical professional to determine whether or not CBT is suitable. Where appropriate, it will usually involve weekly or fortnightly face-to-face sessions with a therapist, lasting anywhere between six weeks to six months.
Many employees will remain at work during this period, while for others the short-term therapy will facilitate an earlier return to the workplace.
For businesses, CBT can prove an extremely cost-effective way of reducing sickness absence or losing valued members of staff from a company’s workforce.
Cognitive Restructuring & Automatic thoughts.
A major concept in CBT are Negative Automatic Thoughts, (NATS). These are thoughts that pop into our heads uninvited. Sometimes they persist in our heads for hours.
Automatic thoughts are ‘unconscious’ for instance they can operate without our awareness of them.
NATS are a stream of thoughts that we can notice, if we pay attention to them. They are negatively framed interpretations of what we think is happening to us. They usually have an impact on our mood and our feelings, that isn’t positive.
NATs can lead to self-doubt, depression, anxiety, anger, irritability and low mood. They are not helpful, or useful and yet we all have them.
Some of the ways you can challenge Automatic Thoughts.
Ask yourself……
Avoidance
Checking
Rituals
Suppressing thoughts or feelings
Worrying all of the time
Helpful coping strategies
Why do we have NATS!
When we are anxious, the brain alerts us to potentially dangerous things in our environment for our safety. We need to have this radar to be sensitive to actual real dangers. Imagine what would happen if we did not have negative thoughts when we were in danger…we probably wouldn’t try to protect ourselves! It is helpful to have this inbuilt automatic response.
The trouble is this system malfunctions due to a myriad of reasons related to our early developmental experiences. For the purpose of CBT therapy it is not important as to how this happened, what is important is how you deal with this in the here and now.
If we constructed our unhelpful view of the world, we have the power to deconstruct it and construct a more helpful view instead.
The first step to begin “restructuring” or responding to negative thoughts is to identify the thoughts that cause us distress.
Q1. What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and how does it benefit employees in the workplace?
A. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a short-term therapy focusing on negative thought patterns. In the workplace, it aids employees by addressing stress, anxiety, and depression, enhancing productivity and well-being.
Q 2. How can employers offer CBT to their staff?
A. Employers can offer CBT through healthcare providers, with assessments determining suitability. Employees undergo weekly sessions with therapists, promoting mental wellness and reducing absenteeism.
Q3.What are Negative Automatic Thoughts (NATs), and how do they impact employee wellbeing?
A. Negative Automatic Thoughts (NATs) are involuntary, negative thought patterns impacting employee mood and productivity. They lead to self-doubt, anxiety, and low morale, affecting overall well-being.
Q4. What strategies can employees use to challenge and cope with negative automatic thoughts?
A. Employees can challenge NATs by questioning their validity, seeking evidence, and adopting helpful coping strategies like cognitive restructuring, mindfulness, and seeking social support. These techniques promote resilience and mental wellness in the workplace.
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