How Zac saw a psychologist for anxiety and depression

The idea of going to therapy can be scary, especially if you don’t know what to expect. To find out more about what cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is like, have a listen to this audio story where we follow Zac through his experiences with anxiety and depression, and professional help.

Part 1

Read the transcript.

• Zac was reluctant to seek help and see a professional, but a friend recommended it due to some problems Zac had been having.

• Jenny (the psychologist) asked Zac what’s been going on for him, and Zac told her he had been having trouble at work and had been taking lots of days off.

• Jenny asked more questions about Zac’s symptoms and relationships, and then began the process of looking at his thoughts and feelings through CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy).

Part 2

Read the transcript.

• Zac returned to see Jenny, the therapist, the following Monday. She asked him about the past week and whether he had any situations where he couldn’t leave the house.

• Jenny used CBT to work through Zac’s depressive thoughts and feelings.

• Jenny gave Zac a simple homework task called a ‘ Thought Diary’ - to make a note whenever he notices himself reacting to something. He would record the date, situation, what his automatic thoughts were and the emotion it created. He would then rate it out of 100% intensity.

Zac found his sessions with Jenny really helpful, as they talked about what was going on for him and walked through how to apply some CBT techniques. Zac felt a lot better after the sessions, and decided he would continue to see the therapist.