What next?

Further sources of support and information

There are a number of self-help resources which you may find useful if you are experiencing anxiety or depression or are supporting someone else with these difficulties:

The CBT Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Using CBT to Overcome Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Low Self-Esteem and Anger by Myles, P. & Shafran, R. (2015)

Overcoming Anxiety: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques by Kennerley, H. (2014)

Overcoming Depression: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques by Gilbert, P. (2009)

Overcoming Worry and Generalised Anxiety Disorder: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (2nd Edition). Meares, K. & Freeston, M. (2015).

If you live in England, Wales and parts of Scotland, you may be able to access a variety of self-help books via the Books on Prescription scheme.

The following resources are useful when children and young people are affected by anxiety and/or depression:

Am I depressed? And what can I do about it? A CBT self-help guide for teenagers experiencing low mood and depression by Reynolds, S. & Parkinson, M. (2015)

Teenage depression: A CBT guide for parents by Parkinson, M. & Reynolds S. (2015)

Can I tell you about Anxiety?: A guide for friends, family and professionals by Willetts, L., Waite, P. & Tay, K. (2014)

Helping your child with fears and worries (2nd Edition): A self-help guide for parents by Creswell, C & Willets, L (2019)

Overcoming Your Child’s Shyness & Social Anxiety: A self-help guide using cognitive behavioral techniques by Willetts, L. & Creswell, C. (2007)

MindEd is a free educational resource on children and young people’s mental health for all adults.

YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. They also provide expert knowledge to professionals, parents and young people through a Parents’ Helpline (available to those based in the UK), online resources, training and development, outreach work and publications.

When trying to find a CBT therapist, it’s important to ensure that they have received appropriate training. One way to do this is to check whether they are accredited by lead organisation for CBT within your country. In the UK, you can search for an accredited CBT therapist by visiting website CBT Register UK.

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (or IAPT) is a psychological service available in England which was created to offer patients a realistic and routine first-line treatment for anxiety and depression. To find out more about the services offered and how you can access them. please visit the NHS website.

The Charlie Waller Institute

You can also find out about the courses run by the Charlie Waller Institute at the University of Reading. Please visit our website for further details about our programme of training events.

If you’re interested in finding more about the Psychology Department, or the University as a whole you can find more information on our website or or you can find out further information about the University as a whole here.

You can also follow the Open Online Courses team for the University of Reading on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram for up-to-date news and information on our current and new courses.

Other online courses

COVID-19: Helping Young People Manage Low Mood and Depression

Experts from the Anxiety and Depression in Young People (AnDY) Research Clinic have developed a two week online course to provide practical help and expert understanding about young people who may be experiencing low mood and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new course offers young people, parents, and supporters’ advice on how to look after themselves, and practice good mental wellbeing and mood during unprecedented circumstances.

Understand Low Mood and Depression in Young People

Understand how to recognise depression and low mood in teenagers and learn how to help in this other University of Reading online course. Understanding Depression and Low Mood in Young People has been devised by Professor Shirley Reynolds and co-authored by Dr Michelle Lee, Dr Faith Orchard, Dr Monika Parkinson and Dr Laura Pass.

Learn about Mindfulness

Mindfulness offers many people a helpful technique for managing negative thoughts. If you would like to learn more about Mindfulness then you might find Monash University’s Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance course of interest.

In the final two Steps, we’ll hear from Ailsa again on how her initial concerns were addressed and the longer term impact CBT has had on her life.