Let's Talk About CBT

In this episode, Helen is joined by Becky and Romanah to talk about specific phobias and how CBT can help. Becky shares her personal experience of living with a phobia of medical situations, also known as blood-injury phobia, what it took for her to seek help, and what the journey through therapy was really like, including the tough moments alongside the breakthroughs. Romanah was Becky's CBT ther...

In this episode, Helen is joined by Colin Blowers, James Jackson, and Hashir Aazh for a thoughtful conversation about tinnitus and how cognitive behavioural therapy can help. The panel draws on professional expertise and lived experience to explore what tinnitus is, why it can become distressing, and the importance of getting it checked. The conversation focuses on how CBT can support people to ch...

In this episode, Helen is joined by Jackie and Professor Roz Shafran to explore loneliness through both lived experience and clinical psychology perspectives. Jackie shares her personal journey with anxiety, bereavement, and loneliness, describing how these experiences affected her mental health and led her to seek CBT support. She reflects on what helped, what was challenging, and how strategies...

In this episode, Helen Macdonald talks with CBT therapist Sally Tribe about the impact of menopause and how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help. Sally shares her own experience of perimenopause, describes the wide range of symptoms people can experience, and explains how CBT can support those affected. The discussion covers the biological, psychological, and social aspects of menopause, the imp...

It's World Mental Health Day 2025, and this year's theme is 'access to services - mental health in catastrophes and emergencies'. The theme highlights the importance of people being able to protect their mental health in times of global instability. In this special episode of Lets' Talk about CBT, Helen Macdonald speaks with Kerry Young, a consultant clinical psychologist specialising in PTSD, par...

Ever heard of low Intensity CBT and wondered what it was all about? Or what it would be like to receive it? In this episode of Let's Talk about CBT, Helen talks to Laura Stevenson-Young, a cognitive behavioural therapist and Director of Low Intensity CBT Clinical Training at Newcastle University and Emily who shares her lived experience of low intensity cognitive behavioural therapy. Together, the...

In this episode, Helen Macdonald speaks with Chris Frederick- advocate, suicide survivor, founder of Project Soul Stride, and self-described "Mental Health Jedi." Chris shares his deeply personal journey, from childhood trauma and racial adversity to becoming a mental health advocate and what helped his recovery- and the things that didn't. Resources & Support: If you or someone you know needs urg...

In this latest episode of Let's Talk About CBT , host Helen Macdonald is joined by two international guests- Tafi Mazikana and Sherrie Steyn who share their journey from CBT service user and therapist to CBT innovators. Tafi, originally from Zimbabwe, opens up about his experiences with anxiety while working in a high-pressured job in finance and how a digital CBT intervention through IAPT (now kn...

In this episode of  Let's Talk About CBT , Helen Macdonald speaks with Phil Cooper , mental health nurse and co-founder of the charity State of Mind Sport , and Ian Knott , former professional rugby league player and State of Mind presenter. Phil shares how State of Mind was born out of tragedy and developed into an award-winning mental fitness programme, now reaching thousands of athletes across...

In this special episode celebrating  World CBT Day 2025 , we explore this year's theme: CBT: A Solid Return on Investment . Host Helen Macdonald, Senior Clinical Advisor at BABCP, is joined by a range of voices reflecting on the impact, value, and future of CBT. We hear from: Dr. Adrian Whittington , National Clinical Lead for Psychological Professions at NHS England, about the rollout and outcome...

In this episode of Let's Talk About CBT , Helen Macdonald speaks with James from the charity Gambling with Lives about the serious impact of gambling addiction, its links to mental health, and the role of CBT in recovery. What We Cover in This Episode: 🔹 How gambling has changed – From a backstreet niche to an industry making billions through addictive products. 🔹 Gambling addiction and mental h...

In this episode, Helen talks with Lizzie, a beauty content creator and disability advocate, and Bex, a CBT therapist, about Lizzie's journey navigating living with long term health conditions, trauma and the transformative impact of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Lizzie shares her experiences living with Crohn's disease, POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), and hypermobility spe...

In this episode of Let's Talk About CBT , Helen Macdonald speaks with Pete Moore, author and creator of The Pain Toolkit, about his journey of living with long-term pain. Pete shares his experiences of how he was able to move from being overwhelmed by pain to learning CBT techniques and strategies which helped him learn to manage it effectively, regain control, and even help others do the same. Us...

In this episode of  Let's Talk About CBT , host Helen Macdonald speaks with Sarah, Sally, and Leanne about Sarah's experience of having Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) after giving birth. They explore how CBT helped Sarah regain control during a challenging postnatal period, addressing struggles such as insomnia, anxiety, and adjusting to new motherhood. Sarah shares her journey of balancing t...

We're back! Let's Talk about CBT has been on hiatus for a little while but now it is back with a brand-new host Helen Macdonald, the Senior Clinical Advisor for the BABCP. Each episode Helen will be talking to experts in the different fields of CBT and also to those who have experienced CBT, what it was like for them and how it helped. This episode Helen is talking to one of the BABCP's Experts by...

The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, the lead organisation for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in the UK and Ireland, is 50 years old this year. In this episode Dr Lucy Maddox explores how CBT has changed over the last 50 years. Lucy speaks to founding members Isaac Marks, Howard Lomas and Ivy Blackburn, previous President David Clark, outgoing President Andre...

In this bonus episode of Let's Talk About CBT, hear Dr Lucy Maddox interview Dr Tom Ward and Angie about SlowMo: digitally supported face-to-face CBT for paranoia combined with a mobile app for use in daily life. Podcast episode produced by Dr Lucy Maddox for BABCP   Transcript Dr Lucy Maddox:        Hello and welcome to Let's Talk about CBT, the podcast from the British Association for Behavioura...

Children don't come with a manual, and parenting can be hard. What is evidence-based parenting training and how can it help? Dr Lucy Maddox interviews Sue Howson and Jane, about their experiences of delivering and receiving this intervention for parents of primary school aged children.  Show Notes and Transcript Podcast episode produced by Dr Lucy Maddox for BABCP Sue and Jane both recommended thi...

In this episode Dr Lucy Maddox speaks to Sharon and Dr Anne Garland, about CBT for depression. Hear how Sharon describes it, and how both group and individual therapy helped.  Show Notes and Transcript Podcast episode produced by Dr Lucy Maddox for BABCP Books Overcoming Depression by Paul Gilbert Podcast Episodes CBT for Perfectionism Compassion Focussed Therapy Websites www.babcp.com www.cbtregi...

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems, but there's a good evidence-base for CBT as a helpful intervention. In this podcast, Dr Lucy Maddox speaks with Dr Blake Stobie and Claire Read, about what CBT for anxiety is like, and how anxious thoughts can be like the circle line.  Show Notes and Transcript Podcast episode produced by Dr Lucy Maddox for BABCP Websites BABCP https://www....

We tend to think about therapy as something that is helpful for individuals, but what about when you want to address problems which affect you and a partner or spouse? In this episode, Dr Lucy Maddox speaks to Dan Kolubinski about cognitive behavioural couples therapy, and hears from Liz and Richard about what the experience was like for them.  Show Notes and Transcript Podcast episode produced by...

What is digital CBT? How does therapy work over the internet? Can it ever be as good as face-to-face? Dr Lucy Maddox hears from Dr Graham Thew and Fiona McLauchlan-Hyde about an internet-based CBT programme for PTSD. Fiona shares her experience of how this therapist-supported programme helped her through traumatic grief, and also has some helpful advice for people trying to comfort those who are b...

Let's Talk About CBT Survey Have you got 5 minutes to complete a quick survey about your experience of listening? It would really help us to know who is listening and what you would like from the podcast. Thank you! https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/podcastLTACBT Podcast episode produced by Dr Lucy Maddox for BABCP   Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash

  What does existing research tell us about the possible impact of the pandemic on children and young people's mental health? Dr Lucy Maddox speaks with Dr Maria Loades about Maria and colleagues' recent rapid review of the literature on isolation and mental health, and what CBT principles suggest can be helpful to head off problems, in particular with loneliness during the pandemic.  Show Notes a...

How does doing more of what matters help teenagers with low mood and depression? And what can we all learn from this, particularly at the moment? Prof Shirley Reynolds speaks to Dr Lucy Maddox. Show Notes and Transcript Podcast episode produced by Dr Lucy Maddox for BABCP If you want to know more the following resources might be helpful. Books Shirley has written two books about depression in teen...