Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy brings together the principles of mindfulness — deliberate, non-judgmental awareness of the present moment — with key insights from cognitive therapy to help you develop a fundamentally different relationship with your thoughts and emotions.
£120
What is MBCT?
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy was originally developed as a structured programme to prevent the recurrence of depression in people who had already experienced three or more episodes. It is now used more broadly for a range of difficulties where rumination, worry and avoidance play a central role.
MBCT works by teaching you to notice when you are slipping into unhelpful patterns of thinking — particularly the downward spirals of ruminative thought that can pull you back into low mood or anxiety — and to respond more skillfully rather than automatically. Rather than trying to change the content of thoughts (as in CBT), MBCT is more focused on changing your relationship with thoughts: learning to observe them as mental events rather than facts.
The programme typically runs over eight weeks and involves both in-session practice and daily home practice between sessions. Commitment to that home practice is central to the approach working well.
What MBCT can help with?
MBCT has one of the strongest evidence bases in all of psychotherapy for relapse prevention in depression. Research consistently shows it roughly halves the risk of relapse in people who have experienced three or more depressive episodes. It is also used effectively for anxiety, stress and a range of other difficulties.
What to expect in MBCT
MBCT brings together cognitive therapy and mindfulness practice — combining the structured tools of one with the present-moment awareness of the other. Together they help you build a different relationship with your thoughts and moods, so that low mood, anxiety, or rumination have less power to take hold and pull you under. The work tends to move through four broad stages, though it's rarely tidy or linear; we revisit and refine as we go.
Is MBCT the right approach for you?
MBCT is particularly well-suited to people who want to build longer-term resilience rather than just address current symptoms. It may be a good fit if:
- You have experienced recurrent depression and want to reduce the risk of future episodes
- You notice that you are prone to ruminative, circular thinking that is difficult to interrupt
- You are interested in developing a mindfulness practice but want it integrated with psychological understanding
- You are willing to commit to daily home practice of around 30–40 minutes between sessions
- You have some stability in your life at present — MBCT works best when you are not in acute crisis
If you are currently in a severe depressive episode, another approach such as CBT may be more appropriate as a first step. I can help you think this through on the free introductory call.
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What stays the same, whichever therapies we use
You set the pace
There's no race here. We work at a pace that feels manageable, and you stay in charge of what you bring into the room and when. Some weeks we'll go deeper; some weeks we'll catch our breath.
Genuinely collaborative
You're the expert on your own life; we bring the clinical training. The work happens in the overlap — we'll think together, plan together, and adjust together, with your feedback shaping the room as much as ours.
Regular reviews
We don't just keep going on autopilot. Every few sessions we'll check in on what's landing, what isn't, and whether the approach we're using is still the right fit for where you've got to.
Reliable routes rarely run in a straight line
Therapy isn't always a tidy path — it winds, doubles back, and finds its shape as you go. The free, no-obligation 20-minute call is a chance to ask questions, get a feel for how we work, and decide together whether we're a good fit.