CBT Therapy in Norwich

Understanding Anxiety and the Patterns That Keep It Going

You may already have a good understanding of your anxiety. Perhaps you have spent time reflecting on your thoughts, your experiences and what might be contributing to how you feel.

But sometimes, understanding something intellectually is not enough to change the way we experience it emotionally.

You may find yourself caught in cycles of worry, self-criticism or overthinking, or notice patterns of responding that feel difficult to shift despite your best efforts.

CBT helps explore the connection between thoughts, emotions and behaviours, helping you understand the patterns that may be keeping anxiety going and develop new ways of responding.

For some women, anxiety can also become more noticeable during times of change, including hormonal transitions such as perimenopause and menopause, when the relationship between your body, emotions and thoughts can feel more difficult to understand.

My approach combines CBT-informed techniques with a wider understanding of psychology, compassion, mindfulness and whole-person wellbeing. I often integrate CBT with hypnotherapy, recognising that while understanding our thoughts can be powerful, many people also benefit from working with deeper emotional patterns and automatic responses.

This means we do not look at anxiety in isolation, but consider your experiences, your body, your lifestyle and the wider factors that may be influencing how you feel.

How CBT Can Help With Anxiety and Emotional Wellbeing

CBT approaches can be helpful for a range of difficulties, including:

  • Anxiety and excessive worry
  • Feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope
  • Negative thought patterns that feel difficult to shift
  • Low mood and loss of motivation
  • Anxiety linked to life transitions, including motherhood, relationship changes or other periods of adjustment
  • Anxiety that feels connected to hormonal changes such as perimenopause or menopause
  • Feeling stuck in unhelpful patterns
  • Developing greater self-understanding and emotional resilience

You do not need to have a diagnosis or have everything figured out before starting therapy.

Many people come to therapy because they know something does not feel right, or because they want to better understand themselves and find a way towards feeling calmer, more balanced and more like themselves again.

How CBT Can Help You Understand Anxiety and Create Change

CBT is based on the understanding that our thoughts, emotions, physical responses and behaviours are closely connected.

When anxiety becomes established, we can sometimes find ourselves caught in patterns that keep the anxiety going — whether that is constant worry, avoiding situations, seeking reassurance, or interpreting experiences in ways that increase feelings of threat.

CBT provides a structured way to explore these patterns and develop new ways of responding.

CBT approaches may be helpful if you are experiencing:

  • Anxiety and persistent worry
  • Feeling overwhelmed or emotionally stuck
  • Overthinking and difficulty switching off
  • Anxiety linked to life changes or transitions
  • Hormonal changes affecting your emotional wellbeing, including perimenopause and menopause
  • Feeling disconnected from yourself or unsure why you feel the way you do

Therapy is not about forcing yourself to think positively or ignoring difficult emotions. Instead, it is about developing a deeper understanding of what is happening and learning practical tools to support meaningful change.

Book a free introductory call

About Laura: A Whole-Person Approach to CBT Therapy in Norwich

Choosing a therapist is about more than the techniques they use. It is also about finding someone whose approach feels right for you.

I have a background in both science and psychology, including a PhD in Genetics and a Master’s degree in Psychology. My training has given me a strong interest in understanding how our thoughts, emotions, biology and wider lifestyle factors can all influence our wellbeing.

I have trained in CBT hypnotherapy and am currently completing further training in integrative CBT. I use CBT-informed approaches alongside compassion, mindfulness, hypnotherapy and other integrative techniques. I have a particular interest in women’s anxiety, including the ways hormonal changes and life transitions can influence emotional wellbeing.

My aim is to create a thoughtful, supportive space where you can understand what is happening beneath the surface, develop new ways of responding, and move towards feeling calmer and more like yourself again.

What To Expect From CBT Therapy in Norwich

Initial Consultation

Our first conversation is an opportunity to understand what has brought you to therapy, what you would like to change, and whether my approach feels right for you.

You do not need to arrive with a diagnosis or a clear explanation of what is wrong. Often, the first step is simply making sense of what has been happening.

Building Understanding

Early sessions focus on developing a clearer picture of your experiences, including the thoughts, emotions and patterns that may be contributing to anxiety.

Together, we explore what is happening beneath the surface and begin identifying areas where change feels possible.

Developing New Ways Forward

As therapy progresses, we use evidence-based psychological approaches and practical tools to help you respond differently to challenges.

The aim is not to eliminate every difficult thought or emotion, but to help you feel more able to manage life's challenges with greater understanding, balance and self-compassion.

CBT Therapy Norwich - Next steps

If you are fed up of trying to figure it out on your own, feel free to reach out

Book free introductory call

Frequently Asked Questions (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Norwich)

Can CBT help with anxiety?

CBT is one of the most widely used evidence-based psychological approaches for anxiety. It helps you understand the relationship between your thoughts, emotions, physical responses and behaviours, including the patterns that may be keeping anxiety going.
Rather than simply trying to stop anxious thoughts, CBT helps you develop a different understanding of your anxiety and learn new ways of responding.

Hypno-CBT combines cognitive behavioural approaches with hypnotherapy techniques. It recognises that while understanding our thoughts can be powerful, some responses can feel automatic and difficult to change through conscious effort alone.
By combining practical CBT tools with relaxation and focused attention techniques, hypno-CBT can help some people work with both conscious thoughts and deeper patterns of responding.

CBT and hypnotherapy are different approaches, but they can work well together. CBT focuses on understanding the relationship between thoughts, emotions and behaviours, helping you identify patterns and develop practical ways of responding.
Hypnotherapy works more with relaxation, imagery and automatic patterns of thinking and responding. Some people find that combining CBT-informed approaches with hypnotherapy helps them access change in a different way.

Yes. Hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can influence mood, anxiety levels, sleep and emotional wellbeing.
CBT can help you understand the thoughts, feelings and behaviours connected with anxiety, while also considering the wider factors that may be affecting how you feel.
A whole-person approach can be particularly helpful during times of change, where psychological and physical factors may interact.

CBT often includes practical exercises or reflections between sessions, as practising new skills can help create change.

However, this is tailored to you. The aim is not to add pressure to your life, but to support you in applying what you explore in therapy to everyday situations.

You do not need to wait until things feel overwhelming to seek support. Therapy may be helpful if you find yourself caught in cycles of worry, overthinking, emotional overwhelm, or patterns that feel difficult to change. It can provide space to understand what is happening and explore ways to move forward. 

This is very common, and you do not need to have the right words before starting therapy. Sessions are gently guided, giving you time to explore what is going on at your own pace. There is no pressure to share anything before you feel ready, and some approaches like CBT hypnotherapy allow you to work on an issue without talking if this suits you better.

No, you don’t. CBT therapy Norwich is for anyone who feels they need support. You don’t need to have everything figured out or labelled, just a willingness to explore what’s going on for you.

The initial consultation is a relaxed, no-pressure conversation. It’s an opportunity to talk about what you’ve been experiencing, what you’d like support with, and to see if the approach feels right for you.

Each session is shaped around your individual needs, experiences, and goals. An integrative approach is used, combining CBT with hypnotherapy, compassion-focused therapy, mindfulness, lifestyle medicine and other techniques to ensure the work feels relevant and supportive for you.

There is no fixed number. Some people benefit from short-term support, while others prefer a longer-term approach. This can be discussed and reviewed together as therapy progresses.

Yes. Your privacy and confidentiality are always respected. Everything discussed in sessions is kept confidential, within professional and ethical guidelines.

Feeling nervous before starting therapy is completely normal. Taking the first step can feel daunting, especially if you are not used to talking about yourself or your experiences. Sessions are designed to feel supportive and paced around your needs, and generally people feel less nervous after 1 or 2 sessions.

CBT therapy sessions are available online and in person in Norwich, depending on availability and what works best for you. This can be discussed during your initial consultation.

Yes. Many people understand their anxious thoughts logically but still experience strong emotional or physical reactions.
This is because anxiety is not only about what we think – it also involves learned patterns, emotional responses and automatic reactions that develop over time.
CBT helps you explore these patterns and practise responding differently.

CBT can be helpful for many different experiences of anxiety, including persistent worry, overthinking, feeling overwhelmed, fears and phobias, anxiety linked to life changes, and anxiety that affects your confidence or everyday life.
Therapy is tailored to you rather than focusing only on a diagnosis. The aim is to understand what is contributing to your anxiety and what may help you feel more balanced.

Yes. Hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can influence mood, anxiety levels, sleep and emotional wellbeing.

CBT can help you understand the thoughts, feelings and behaviours connected with anxiety, while also considering the wider factors that may be affecting how you feel.

A whole-person approach can be particularly helpful during times of change, where psychological and physical factors may interact.

Getting started begins with an initial consultation. This is an opportunity to talk through what you are experiencing, ask questions and explore whether CBT-informed therapy could support you.