The 12 Unhelpful Thinking Styles of Christmas As CBT practitioners, we’re all familiar with the classic unhelpful thinking styles (or cognitive distortions, if you prefer the traditional term). But there’s something about the Christmas season that seems to activate these patterns with particular vigor. The combination of high expectations, family dynamics, financial pressure, and genuineContinue reading “Festive Feelings”
Author Archives: Prof Patrick McGhee
Festive Feelings
Christmas and Mental Health: When the Season of Joy Feels Heavy Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. Yet for many of our clients—and perhaps for some of us as therapists—the festive season brings a unique set of mental health challenges that can feel overwhelming and isolating. The Expectation GapContinue reading “Festive Feelings”
Four Surprising Truths About Depression That Could Change How We Treat It
For decades, the story of depression treatment has often followed a simple, linear script: a person feels unwell, receives a diagnosis, and leaves a doctor’s office with a prescription. This narrative is comforting in its simplicity, but for a vast number of people, it’s a story that doesn’t have a happy ending. The reality isContinue reading “Four Surprising Truths About Depression That Could Change How We Treat It”
Treating Jealousy with CBT
The Green-Eyed Monster in the Digital Age: Understanding and Overcoming Jealousy in Modern Relationships Why Jealousy Feels Worse Than Ever Jealousy isn’t new. Shakespeare called it the “green-eyed monster” over 400 years ago. But in today’s hyper-connected, comparison-driven world, jealousy has evolved—and intensified. Social media, dating apps, and the blur between online and offline livesContinue reading “Treating Jealousy with CBT”
Flutura and ASD
How Online Apps Can Help Autistic Clients In the field of CBT, working with autistic clients—especially those diagnosed later in life—requires sensitivity, adaptation, and tools that support both therapist and client. Recent guidance from the recent Practical CBT blog highlights ten key ways to enrich therapy for autistic adults: using strengths‐based framing, adapting thought‐records, structuringContinue reading “Flutura and ASD”
Helping Autistic Clients
10 Ways to Support Autistic Clients in CBT Sessions As CBT practitioners, many of us are seeing more clients who receive a late diagnosis of autism — often in their 20s, 30s or later. I’ve had clients say, “It explains everything now” — the years of feeling different, misunderstood, masking, struggling socially or emotionally, nowContinue reading “Helping Autistic Clients”
Helping Adult Clients Navigate Parent-Child Dynamics
Contemporary CBT Techniques Adult Parents Intro: A Comprehensive Guide to Helping Adult Clients Navigate Parent-Child Dynamics Understanding and improving the relationship between adult clients and their parents can be a complex and delicate process. Drawing on insights from Practical CBT and the expertise of Patrick McGhee, this guide offers a structured approach to addressing theContinue reading “Helping Adult Clients Navigate Parent-Child Dynamics”
Using CBT to Navigate Divorce
How CBT can help you help your clients deal with divorce. Introduction and General Principles of Using CBT to Navigate Divorce Divorce can feel like navigating through a storm—unpredictable, chaotic, and deeply challenging. Drawing on the metaphor of seafaring through a storm, this article explores how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can serve as a reliableContinue reading “Using CBT to Navigate Divorce”
10 Best Free CBT Apps for 2025
There are so many apps out there – so which one to recommend to clients? Some of the best are very expensive and can be difficult for a client to maintain a recurring subscription. In this brief review of free apps, we examine apps which are tested, effective, easy to use and free. (When weContinue reading “10 Best Free CBT Apps for 2025”
Top Ten CBT Books to Read in 2025
There are so many interesting CBT books around at the moment it is difficult to know where to begin. However, we have pulled out the best 10 we think every CBT therapist should have on their shelf to support their development and clinical practice. Some are brand new, some have been out for a whileContinue reading “Top Ten CBT Books to Read in 2025”
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