Show Notes
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 bereaved.
Show Notes and Transcript Podcast episode produced by Dr Lucy Maddox for BABCP BABCP website is at www.babcp.com CBT Register of accredited CBT therapists is at https://www.cbtregisteruk.com BPS Top tips for psychological sessions delivered by video call for adult patients https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/Policy/Policy%20-%20Files/Top%20tips%20for%20psychological%20sessions%20by%20video%20%28adult%20patients%29.pdf Resource from OCD-UK on getting the most out of online CBT https://www.babcp.com/files/Therapists/Oxford-OCD-Making-the-Most-Out-of-Remote-Therapy-for-Patients-by-OCDUK.pdf Graham's recent paper in the Cognitive Behavioural Therapist can be found on the podcast journal article page https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-cognitive-behaviour-therapist/information/let-s-talk-about-cbt-podcast Information from Cruse about traumatic grief https://www.cruse.org.uk/get-help/traumatic-bereavement/traumatic-loss The Good Grief Trust https://www.thegoodgrieftrust.org Image is by Cassie Boca on Unsplash Transcript
Lucy: Before we get started, I want to remind you about the survey which I released at the beginning of August. I really would like to know more about who is listening to these podcasts and what you would like. The link to the survey is in the show notes and it takes about five minutes to complete. If you have time to fill it in I would be really grateful.
Hello, and welcome to Let's Talk About CBT, with me, Dr Lucy Maddox. This podcast is all about CBT, what it is, what it's not, and how it can be useful.
Today I am exploring digital CBT. I speak to a therapist who has been researching internet based CBT programmes that are supported by a therapist, and I speak to someone who has experienced this first hand.
The particular programme that we talk about is for PTSD, which we've heard about before in a previous episode. In this case PTSD was related to an experience of traumatic grief.
Fiona: I think I started last September and I finished just before lockdown, actually.
Lucy: Gosh, so in a way good timing.
Fiona: Yeah, it was great timing to finish just before lockdown. It put me in a good place I think, to be able to deal with what was going on, rather than if it had been six months earlier it would have been a very different experience I think.
Lucy: It took Fiona, who is based in Oxfordshire, a long time to find this type of therapy.
Fiona: It all started six and a half years ago, when my husband died of cancer.
Lucy: I'm so sorry.
Fiona: He was diagnosed in the June, and he died in the December, and it was really horrific. He was 49, I was 42 at the time. And so it was heartbreaking and I couldn't cope. I couldn't cope afterwards. We had a little girl, she was seven when he died. And my world was turned upside down.
And I got help at first. But then, as with all things, life goes on around you and everyone thinks you're fine. And I was still putting my lipstick on, so therefore everyone thought I was okay. And I felt I was getting worse and worse, and no one would believe me.
And it wasn't until I threw all of my toys out of the pram; after having therapy through my local GP – so this was last year, last summer – sitting in my car afterwards for about an hour just sobbing, because no one believed me that I was feeling as bad as I was.
And I asked to be put in touch with TalkingSpace. And they put me forward for a trial with Oxfordshire Mental Health, and it changed my life. It absolutely changed my life. Because I was drowning and no
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