CBT Eastbourne

Who are we?

CBT Eastbourne is a private clinical service for people who are experiencing emotional or psychological problems in their lives. They want help with how they feel about themselves, with their relationships and how they can change aspects of their behaviour which may be causing problems for themselves and others.

What is CBT?

CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) addresses how our thoughts affect our behaviour. And how the way we behave affects our feelings and our thoughts. CBT, Counselling and Psychotherapy allows us to explore a problem, to peel away the layers of a problem in order to look at our difficulties in a different way and eventually to resolve them. In this way we can avoid repetitive patterns of thought which can preoccupy our mind and prevent us from finding desperately wanted changes in our behaviour or in our selves. Where a problem appears insurmountable, our approach is to break it down into a number of smaller issues so we can help to resolve them one by one.

What type of people come to CBT Eastbourne?

Since 1984 we have been providing a psychotherapy and counselling service for women, men and adolescents who have been struggling to find solutions to their distress either alone or with help from friends and family. They come to us when a more professional approach is needed. Often people say that they do not wish to distress or burden their partners or families with their problems. Psychotherapy provides the time and space to focus on how to get to the root of the difficulties and to find a long term resolution of the problem.

When I first came to Ferga I genuinely believed I was beyond help. I had been struggling with serious emotional issues for almost twenty years and was so lost and confused I didn't think anything could help or that I could ever feel better, but I was so desperate I felt I had no choice but to try. Therapy was a difficult process, but I am very happy to be able to write today that Ferga helped me achieve what I thought was impossible; she helped me back on the path to wellness and completeness, she helped me turn my life around and now my life has changed completely and for the better.

AW

Before I started sessions with Ferga I was extremely anxious about so many things and this was impacting on many aspects of my life. Ferga helped me identify why I had become so anxious and showed me practical ways to help reduce the anxiety. Her experience, combined with her very genuine warmth and compassion, made me feel so much better about myself and about my ability to cope with everyday life.

LS

For many years I had suffered from anxiety and had always been a worrier. I was dealt quite a blow when my child was diagnosed with a disability. Trying to deal with this and care for my child coupled with the stress of work and family life started to increase my anxiety until I felt it was out of control. I was having panic attacks and feeling nauseous and sick on a daily basis. The thought of actually being sick and it happening in public terrified me and it was taking over my life. Just doing ordinary daily tasks such as taking my child to school, going to the supermarket or going to someone’s house for dinner felt like a mammoth task and I would get myself into a real state doing so. It was at this point that I felt enough was enough and that I couldn't carry on as I was. I started having weekly sessions with Ferga.

The ability just to talk about how I was feeling with somebody completely impartial was great. Ferga helped me understand what was behind my anxiety and why it manifested itself in the way it did. Through therapy I learnt not to blame myself for everything that was happening and to not feel guilty for not being able to do everything that I felt I was supposed to. Ferga taught me how to calm myself down in stressful situations through breathing exercises and how to prepare myself when stressful times were ahead so I could deal with them better. When I was at my worst I felt that I would never be rid of the anxiety but after a while, it gradually became easier until I felt I had it under control rather than it had me under control.

Now I can approach those normal daily events without the anxiety or feeling sick even crossing my mind. I feel so much calmer. Every now and again situations arise that do stress me out but I feel so much more equipped to deal with them and I can get through them without feeling the need to run for the door. I am much stronger and I feel like such a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Life has become much easier. If I'd realised how much better I could feel I would have sought help earlier.

CJW