How WorryTree works

WorryTree has been designed to help you record and manage your worries on the go through a secure app on your phone or tablet. Based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques, WorryTree takes you through a series of decision steps once you've noticed that you're worrying about something:

  1. Asking yourself, what are you worrying about right now? 

  2. Asking yourself, is this a worry that can be resolved or is it something you have very little control over

  3. Moving on, either by making an action plan for your worry (making a plan to do something about it either now or later) or by finding ways to distract yourself from your worrying thoughts.

WorryTree was designed specifically to support people undergoing CBT for anxiety disorders such as Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) where excessive worry is thought to be a factor.

What is CBT?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (also known as CBT) is a type of talking therapy based on the concept that your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are interconnected, and that negative thoughts and feelings can trap you in a vicious cycle.

It tries to help you deal with problems by breaking them down into smaller parts.

One technique that therapists use during CBT with people who suffer from excessive worry is to train them to notice when they are worrying and try to build more constructive habits of problem solving and distraction. WorryTree is designed to support this element of CBT. 

If you're interested in delving more deeply into CBT and how it works, you can take a look at some of the links below: 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the UK (NHS)

IESO Digital Health 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the US