Step-by-Step: How to Start CBT Through Bupa
- cbtbournemouth
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Confused about choosing a CBT Therapist or unsure where to start with booking in your first appointment? Let me help you. This brief guide will talk you through booking your first CBT appointment.
1️⃣ Contact Bupa to Request Mental Health Support
Your first step is to speak to Bupa. You can do this by:
Bupa will talk through your symptoms and confirm whether CBT is clinically appropriate. If so, they will provide:
✔ An authorisation code
✔ Number of sessions approved
✔ Start and end dates of your authorisation
✔ Any referral requirements (e.g., GP letter)
This information is essential for booking your first CBT session.
2️⃣ Choose Your Bupa-Accredited CBT Therapist
Once you have your authorisation code, you can select a therapist who is registered with Bupa.
When choosing a CBT therapist, look for:
Experience with your specific difficulty
Clear information about session structure and treatment approach
You can find this information on my websites:
3️⃣ Book Your Bupa CBT Assessment
Once you’ve chosen your therapist, the next step is booking your Initial Assessment.
Your therapist will ask you for:
Bupa membership number
Authorisation code
Number of approved sessions
Start/end date of your funding
GP or consultant details (if relevant)
This allows your therapist to validate your funding with Bupa before your first session.
Appointments are usually available quickly, especially for remote or online CBT where you can usually find the most flexibility.
4️⃣ What Happens in the Initial Assessment?
The first session is a comprehensive and structured CBT assessment, usually lasting 50 minutes.
This session explores:
✔ Your current symptoms
✔ When the problem started
✔ Key triggers and maintaining patterns
✔ Impact on day-to-day life
✔ Any moments where the difficulty feels better or worse
✔ Your goals for therapy
✔ Risk screening (a requirement for all Bupa clients)
Your therapist then shares a formulation - a collaborative map of how your thoughts, behaviours, emotions, and physical symptoms interact.This forms the foundation of your personalised CBT treatment plan.
This session also provides the information Bupa requires to confirm that CBT is appropriate and to approve ongoing sessions.
5️⃣ Starting Your Structured CBT Sessions
After the assessment, you begin your weekly or fortnightly CBT sessions.
You can expect:
A clear structure
Practical techniques
Worksheets or guides
Behavioural experiments - trying out new ideas and testing out predictions
Exposure strategies where suitable
Noticing and reframing thoughts
Progress reviews
Tailored problem-solving
Relapse prevention planning
CBT is active and collaborative - sessions focus on building skills you can take forward long after therapy ends.
6️⃣ Session Reviews & Requesting More Sessions
Bupa commonly approves an initial block of sessions.If your therapist believes you would benefit from additional support, they will send Bupa:
A progress update
Evidence of improvement
A clinical rationale for further sessions
A recommendation for how many more are needed
This is a normal part of the insurance therapy process and we can discuss any questions or concerns you might have.
7️⃣ Ending Therapy & Relapse Prevention
Your final sessions include:
Review of progress
Consolidation of skills
Understanding triggers
Early warning sign planning
A personalised relapse-prevention plan
This ensures long-term stability and confidence in using the strategies you’ve learned.
🌱 Final Thoughts: Starting Bupa CBT Is Simpler Than It Seems
Booking Bupa funded CBT doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Once you know how the process works - from accessing your authorisation code to beginning structured CBT sessions - it becomes a smooth, supportive journey.
If you are ready to begin, or if you want to ask questions before speaking to Bupa, you’re welcome to get in touch.
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