Reading List

A curated Reading List to support and extend learning from CBT Techniques for Stress Management in Care Homes.

This course presents CBT as a set of practical self-management tools rather than training in therapy delivery. The items below focus on official guidance about CBT, practical self-help techniques, workplace stress, care-sector wellbeing, and sources of support across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

1. Care-Sector Wellbeing and Workplace Guidance

• CQC - Workforce wellbeing and enablement
  An adult social care quality statement explaining why staff wellbeing, feedback, safe working conditions, breaks, and personalised support matter for person-centred care in regulated services in England.
  https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/assessment/single-assessment-framework/caring/workforce-wellbeing-enablement

• Skills for Care - Wellbeing resource finder
  A social care resource finder reviewed in April 2024. Useful for managers and staff looking for sector-specific resources on wellbeing, resilience, mental health, grief, bereavement and workplace wellbeing culture.
  https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Support-for-leaders-and-managers/Managing-people/Wellbeing/Workforce-wellbeing-finder/Wellbeing-resource-finder.aspx

• NICE - Mental wellbeing at work (NG212)
  UK guidance on creating conditions that support mental wellbeing at work. Clarifies that managing workplace stress involves organisational and managerial action as well as individual steps.
  https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng212

• HSE - Stress and mental health at work
  The Health and Safety Executive hub on work-related stress, risk assessment, management standards, employee help and employer responsibilities in Great Britain.
  https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/

2. CBT and Practical Self-Help

• NHS - Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
  A clear NHS explanation of CBT, what it treats and how it is accessed. Helpful background for the practical techniques used in this course.
  https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/

• NHS Every Mind Matters - Self-help CBT techniques
  A set of CBT-informed self-help techniques for managing worry, building resilience and spotting unhelpful thought patterns. Useful for practising the skills in this course.
  https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/self-help-cbt-techniques/

• NHS Every Mind Matters - Thought record
  A structured CBT exercise for noting thoughts, feelings, evidence and alternative perspectives. Suitable for reflection after stressful shifts or difficult interactions.
  https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/self-help-cbt-techniques/thought-record/

• NHS Every Mind Matters - Problem solving
  Guidance on separating actionable problems from hypothetical worries, which helps prioritise practical steps in workplace stress management.
  https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/self-help-cbt-techniques/problem-solving/

• NHS Every Mind Matters - Work-related stress
  A plain-language guide to work-related stress, including common emotional, thought and behaviour changes and simple in-the-moment strategies such as breathing, reframing and talking to someone you trust.
  https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/lifes-challenges/work-related-stress/

3. Social Care Workforce Resources Across the Four Nations

• England - Skills for Care wellbeing resources
  Social-care-focused resources for workforce wellbeing, including support for leaders and managers and tools to support workplace wellbeing culture.
  https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Support-for-leaders-and-managers/Managing-people/Wellbeing/Workforce-wellbeing-finder/Wellbeing-resource-finder.aspx

• Scotland - SSSC Workforce wellbeing
  Scottish Social Services Council resources and signposting for people working in social work, social care and children and young people's services, including the National Wellbeing Hub.
  https://www.sssc.uk.com/supporting-your-learning/workforce-wellbeing/

• Wales - Social Care Wales: Your health and well-being
  Health and wellbeing information, advice and resources for social care, early years and childcare workers in Wales, including the workforce health and wellbeing framework.
  https://socialcare.wales/resources-guidance/health-and-well-being-resources

• Northern Ireland - nidirect Workplace stress
  A Northern Ireland government resource on workplace stress, warning signs, responsibilities, and practical next steps.
  https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/workplace-stress

Use this list to build practical skills in CBT-informed stress management, to support workplace wellbeing, and to locate official support when self-help is not enough.