CBT With Beth

23/02/2026

Sharing this kind of feedback is always humbling.

Below is a client reflection after just over a year of CBT sessions. Their words speak to the steady, sometimes challenging, but deeply meaningful work that therapy involves; learning to understand the past, quiet unhelpful thought patterns, build confidence, and make decisions from a place of clarity rather than fear.

CBT isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about developing practical tools that create lasting change.

I’m grateful to be trusted with this work.

21/01/2026

~Fake Reviews for Anxiety~

Although anxiety may speak loudly, it doesn’t mean it’s telling the truth.

18/01/2026

Hi everyone,
I currently have two remaining appointment times available on Tuesday mornings at my clinic at Soul Barns.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy offers practical, evidence-based support for managing anxiety, low mood, and building healthier coping strategies.
If you or someone you know is looking for support or would like further information, please do pop me a message via my website –

I provide CBT therapy for adults struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges, offering both in-person sessions in Reading, Berkshire, and flexible online therapy options

12/01/2026

Every New Year, resolutions start popping up — new goals, plans, and ideas of who we ‘should’ be.
For some that might come quite easy to set and follow through with these goals. However, for many of us, it can bring up feelings of stress, anxiety and a lot of self comparison.
I thought I would come on share a simple concept that can often act as a barrier or challenge to goal setting - Cognitive Load.

29/12/2025

🔔 New Therapy Space at Soul Barns 🔔

I’m really pleased to share that from January 13th, I’ll be offering face-to-face therapy sessions in a beautiful new space at Soul Barns in Mortimer.

This calm, nurturing setting feels like a wonderful place to slow down, reflect, and do meaningful therapeutic work together.

🗓 Tuesdays
⏰ 9:30am – 1:30pm

If you’ve been considering in-person therapy, this could be a lovely opportunity. Appointments are now available, and you’re very welcome to get in touch with any questions or to book a session.

www.cbtwithbeth.co.uk

06/12/2025

I was going to write a post about Compassion Focused Therapy and how I use its principles in my clinic, however something happened on Friday morning with my son that reminded me so vividly of the principles at the heart of Compassion Focused Therapy - a therapeutic approach that helps people cultivate a kinder, steadier, more supportive inner voice.

It was one of those tough school-day starts; tiny tears and big feelings. Instead of speeding past them, I took a breath, softened my voice, and reached for a little compassion… and a slice of toast.
I cut my son’s toast into little Christmas shapes (as you can see from my photo in an incredibly artistic way 😉) - a Christmas tree and a slightly lopsided snowman. Somehow that small, playful gesture eased the heaviness. His shoulders relaxed. A smile peeked through. The world felt safe again and he felt able to think about going to school.

It got me thinking: we often do this instinctively for children — soften, soothe, offer comfort in simple, tangible ways. But adults need this too.
We can find this easy to do for others, but turning this inward on ourselves can be tricky. We are allowed to give ourselves that same compassion, perhaps in the tiniest of forms to make it easier. A cup of tea, calling a friend, for me getting under my heated blanket at my desk!

In sessions with clients, I will often explore the barriers to self-compassion and experiment with ways of trying these small acts. We then look at the impact this has on clients’ ability to cope with the rest of the day. It’s incredible how even tiny acts of compassion can shift the emotional tone of a whole day.

If you’re finding things heavy today, maybe try one small compassionate gesture, the emotional equivalent of a Christmas-shaped piece of toast.
www.cbtwithbeth.co.uk

23/10/2025

"CBT is about positive thinking"
False - In fact, if that’s all you’ve ever been told about CBT, I don’t blame you if you have rolled your eyes at it.
Because here’s the truth:
CBT isn’t about forcing happy thoughts or pretending everything’s fine.
It’s about understanding how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours interact, and learning how to challenge patterns that keep you stuck.
Sometimes that means noticing a thought like:
“I’m a failure.”
and learning to respond with:
“I’m struggling right now, but that doesn’t define me.”
Not exactly a “positive affirmation,” right? But it’s realistic, compassionate, and powerful.
The goal of CBT isn’t to make your mind a place where everything is sunshine and rainbows. It’s to make it a place you can actually live in. 🌿
💭 What do you think? Has CBT ever been misrepresented to you as just “positive thinking”?

Get in touch if you think this approach could help you!
www.cbtwithbeth.co.uk

13/10/2025

**This Post Is a Behavioural Experiment**

So here’s a little behind-the-scenes moment from a CBT therapist 👋

Hitting “post” on social media doesn’t come naturally to me.

My mind says things like:

🗯️ “What if no one engages?”
🗯️ “What if people judge me for putting myself out there?”
🗯️ “What if it’s… cringe?” 😅

In CBT, we call this a prediction - an anxious thought about what might happen.

So I decided to treat this as a behavioural experiment.

Instead of avoiding (which feels safe but keeps the anxiety going), I’m testing the prediction by doing the thing anyway - posting!

The goal isn’t to prove myself right or wrong, but to gather evidence:

✅ Do people actually respond negatively?
✅ Or do some connect, comment, or even reach out for support?
✅ How anxious do I really feel afterwards?

That’s the beauty of CBT, we don’t just talk about thoughts; we test them.

Whether it’s sending that email, going to the gym, or yes… sharing something online, sometimes the bravest thing is just doing the experiment and seeing what happens. 🌱

💭 What’s something you’ve been avoiding that you could turn into your own little behavioural experiment this week?

08/10/2025

If you’ve ever thought about getting some support for your mental health, you’ve probably heard of CBT and Counselling… but what’s the difference between them? 🤷‍♀️

In my new blog post, I explain both in simple terms, no jargon, just a clear look at how each one works and what you can expect. Whether you’re thinking about therapy for yourself or just curious, this post is a great starting point. 🌿

👉 Read it here: https://www.cbtwithbeth.co.uk/blog/

Sometimes the first step to feeling better is just understanding your options.

Not sure whether to choose counselling or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)? Discover the key differences and find out how CBT can help you manage anxiety, depression, stress, and low self-esteem. F

03/10/2025

I am very lucky to have such a gorgeous clinic space to meet my clients at Orchard Life. It is surrounded by rolling fields and a fruit orchard, all of which can be seen from the floor to ceiling windows in the clinic room.

I have one remaining in-person appointment on Monday mornings available and some online appointments available later in the week.

Please do get in touch, I would love to help!
www.cbtwithbeth.co.uk

24/09/2025

I saw this quote the other day about change and transitions, and it made me think about how this can be similar to someone's experience of therapy.
Therapy often feels a lot like change itself — hard at the beginning, messy in the middle, and deeply worth it in the end. At first, just showing up can feel uncomfortable, like stepping into unfamiliar territory. As the process unfolds, things can get tangled and confusing, with old wounds resurfacing and emotions spilling over in unexpected ways. But that’s the heart of the work — moving through the mess instead of avoiding it. And with time, the effort begins to reveal its reward: a lighter heart, a clearer mind, and a stronger sense of self that makes every difficult step along the way worthwhile.
One of my client's recently described a similar experience when we worked together:
"I was a little apprehensive before beginning my therapy journey, but Beth very quickly put me at my ease. We worked on both coping strategies and identifying the cause of my issues. This helped me to understand why my issues began, and the trigger points which had led to my previous damaging behaviour and how to avoid them going forward. During our sessions I encountered a traumatic life event, Beth helped me both process and recover from this. Following our sessions I feel I am in a much stronger and more stable place. I appreciate that mental wellness is a journey and should I require help along the away at some point in the future I would not hesitate to reach out to Beth again."

16/09/2025

Low self esteem is a difficulty I work with on a daily basis with clients.
Low self-esteem is when someone often sees themselves in a negative way, like feeling “not good enough” or doubting their abilities. This can make everyday life harder, affecting confidence, relationships, and how we handle challenges. People with low self-esteem may be overly self-critical, focus on perceived flaws, or struggle to accept compliments. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be really helpful in changing this. In CBT, we look at the unhelpful thoughts that feed low self-esteem and learn to challenge them with more balanced and fair ones. We also practice new behaviours, like noticing strengths, engaging in empowering actions and being kinder to ourselves. Over time, these changes can help build confidence and create a healthier, more positive view of ourselves.
Boosting clients self esteem is something I am truly passionate about. If this is something you think you can relate too; please reach out. I would love to help!