Who we are

Dr David Backwell | The Quiet Hours

Dr David Backwell is a medical doctor with a Diploma in Mental Health and training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), currently completing a Master’s in Sleep Medicine at the University of Oxford, and founder of The Quiet Hours.

Based in Cape Town, he offers calm, structured support to people navigating life changes, sleep difficulties, or everyday mental health concerns. His practice, The Quiet Hours, is built around careful conversation and practical cognitive tools, grounded in the belief that the way we think shapes how we feel, how we act, and the kind of lives we come to inhabit.

This is not crisis care. It is steady, evidence-based support for those looking to better understand their habits of mind, particularly during times of adjustment or disrupted sleep.

Our Philosophy

Therapy and mental health care are a collaborative effort. We work together, not just in session but between sessions too. You’ll often be invited to reflect, try out small practices and worksheets, and bring in examples from daily life. Indeed, the work begins together but becomes real and tangible in everyday life.

We do more than passive discussion or medication management; we work together to develop a different kind of dialogue with yourself, with guidance and support along the way.

A note on medication

While this practice is grounded in talk-based therapy and cognitive tools, it is run by a medical doctor able to prescribe medication when clinically appropriate, always as one part of an integrated, collaboratively-discussed plan rather than used in isolation.If we reach a point in the process where medication might support your functioning or ease your symptoms, we’ll discuss it together openly, carefully, and in context. This might be at the beginning, or further down the line.

Medication is never used in isolation. It’s one part of an integrated approach to long-term wellbeing.

Credentials

  • MBChB (UCT), 2018
  • Diploma in Mental Health, DMH (CMSA), 2021
  • Basics of CBT: Essentials 1, Beck Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, 2025
  • Masterclass in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia, University of Oxford, 2025
  • Provider Training, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Nightmares Conference, Medical University of South Carolina, 2026
  • Member, South African Society for Sleep and Health (SASSH), 2026
  • Master’s in Sleep Medicine, University of Oxford: September 2026-2028

The Practice

This practice is grounded in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), informed by narrative and embodied perspectives, meaning that alongside CBT’s structured, evidence-based tools, we also pay attention to how your thoughts, personal stories, and physical experiences shape your world.The focus is not just on insight, but on lived change through attention, reflection, and small, meaningful shifts in how you relate to yourself and others.