Applied MCT Services is the first UK Meta Cognitive Therapy Service, It aims to provide high quality pure MCT by a fully qualified MCT Therapist (Dave Bowman).
Throughout my career as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist I have always incorporated Meta cognitive components into my CBT practice. When the chance arose to formally train in Meta cognitive therapy I decided to commit the three years of very intense and rewarding Meta cognitive therapy training with Professor Adrian Wells and Professor Hans Nordahl.
What Is It?
MCT offers specific advantages to clients as it provides a coherent structure and targets directly the most distressing elements of emotional disorders. Namely our conscious response to emotion and thoughts through prolonged thinking (Worry and Rumination), how we monitor ourselves and our environment (Threat Monitoring) and the behaviours we engage in that, though they may seem helpful, actually maintain our distress (Maladaptive Coping). These three elements are know collectively as the CAS (Cognitive Attentional Syndrome)
How Does It Work?
MCT teaches clients a range of skills, such as Detached Mindfullnes and Attention Training, that are easy to learn and develop expertise in. Using these skills a client can alter their response to upsetting thoughts and emotions and Maladaptive Behaviours ultimately managing and extinguishing them from their lives.
Clients should expect for therapy to be brief and effective in dealing with their problems, they should also be able to adapt their new skill set to help deal with any other problems they face.
Is this a type of CBT?
Though initially developed within existing Cognitive Therapies, MCT differs from CBT significantly. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy targets belief change in order to help clients manage their problems. Meta cognitive therapy targets overthinking. Though newer models of CBT have incorporated Meta Cognitive elements creating hybrid models, and many CB Therapists use meta cognitive techniques and ideas, these can often create logical confusions in therapy. interrogating a thought and detaching from it are mutually exclusive therapeutic responses. Applied MCT’s remit is to only use pure MCT models.