Foundation in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: Continuing Professional Development Unit

The overall aim of the programme is to provide an introduction to the theory and practice of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The programme aims to provide an equal balance between theoretical knowledge of CBT and clinical skills practice.    

The specific aims of the course are to enable trainees to:

• Understand the fundamental principles of CBT
• Carry out a comprehensive cognitive behavioural assessment
• Formulate problems using a CBT framework
• Demonstrate competency in key CBT interventions
• Develop awareness and knowledge of cognitive behavioural models of specific mental health disorders
• Show competence in interviewing skills with an awareness of the importance of guided discovery
• Reflect on their therapeutic development and practice
• Integrate CBT skills into their current clinical role

Entrance criteria

The programme has recently been redesigned to meet the needs of professionals and mental health practitioners from a variety of clinical contexts. The course is predominantly aimed at health and social care professionals (e.g. mental health nurses, social workers, medical staff, occupational therapists and accredited counsellors) but is also open to mental health workers who have completed the Knowledge, Skills and Attitude framework (KSA, see below for more details).

To be eligible for the course you will meet one of the criterion below:

• You have a core mental health or social care professional qualification (e.g. clinical psychology, mental health nursing, occupational therapy, psychiatry, social work, counselling at an accredited level and health visiting) with at least one year’s practical experience of working with people with mental health difficulties. The course follows the guidelines of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists (BABCP) for eligible core professions (which will be accepted as entry criteria): see Core Professions (babcp.com)
• You have worked with people with mental health difficulties for at least two years on a regular, face-to-face basis, working on problems such as anxiety and depression. You will need to demonstrate your mental health experience via the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSA) framework (see below). Applicants who need to complete the KSA will be supported by the course tutors and this will be discussed at interview. Some applicants may be eligible for completing a condensed version of our KSA. To check whether this applies to you, please check the BABCP web page here: Professions eligible for Condensed KSA Portfolios (babcp.com).

All applicants are required to attend a brief interview at the centre.  

 

Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSA)

Trainees who do not have a core-profession, as categorized by the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists (BABCP), will have to complete a selected part of the Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (KSA) framework to be eligible for the Foundation course. Previously a full KSA was mandatory when trainees were required to see clients from their current employment. In line with the changes we have made to the Foundation programme we have reduced the requirement to only six KSA items.  KSA documents and guidance from the BABCP are available here: Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (babcp.com). Further guidance and documents will be provided to applicants completing the KSA following a successful interview.

The new requirement is to complete:

• Section 5. Competency in key relationships
• Section 8. Awareness of risk
• Section 10. Commitment to ethical principles
• Section 11. Fitness to practice
• Section 12. Capacity to reflect and evaluate own values and priorities
• Section 14: Biography (narrative) & Clinical experience record

Sections 1,2,3,4,6,7,9 and 13 do not have to be completed for the Foundation course. The website has links to documents which give examples and details of what is required for these six sections. If you want to apply for the postgraduate CBT diploma in the future (when you have completed the Foundation) you will need to complete all the KSA sections. The Foundation will help you to build up evidence for these additional sections. The shortened KSA portfolio will need to be completed to finish the course and gain certification.  You are welcome to contact the Programme Lead  Christopher.Moss@gmmh.nhs.uk for support in completing the documents. The KSA requirements will be discussed at interview.

Please note: For those applicants required to complete the KSA, your place on the Foundation in CBT Programme is subject to completion of a satisfactory KSA which must be submitted on the first day of the course.

Teaching Methods & Supervision

The course includes a variety of learning methods including taught lectures, small group discussions, 1:1 clinical role-plays, and structured personal reflection. Trainees on the course will also receive feedback and advice from accredited therapists, although no supervision is provided. It is recommended that trainees arrange some form of supervision/guidance from someone in their organisation with appropriate clinical experience to facilitate integration of new skills into practice.

Although the Foundation course does not qualify trainees to practice Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (please see our website for details about our Diploma in CBT programmes for this, along with additional entry requirements for these courses), trainees will be encouraged, and supported, to consider how their newly acquired skills can be integrated into their current roles and employment.

Assessment

The course is assessed by two recordings of clinical role-plays, a short presentation (based on the first assessed role play) and a written essay (based on the second role play assessment) in which trainees reflect on their skill development, with reference to clinical and research literature.

The total cost of the course will be £1,800. This can be paid in instalments, for further details please contact the administrator, Nadine Smith, Nadine.Smith@gmmh.nhs.uk

We will be accepting applications for the February 2025 cohort in November 2024.  The application form is now available for you to download.  Please return this to nadine.smith@gmmh.nhs.uk 

Application Form - Foundation in CBT v3 22.01.24.docx [docx] 45KB

 

 

 

 

Which programme is best suited for me, the PG Diploma in CBT or Foundation in CBT?

The decision regarding whether to apply for our Postgraduate Diploma or Foundation Programmes would be very much linked to your current knowledge and practice experience of CBT.  If you have used CBT with a few clients, under specialist CBT supervision, maybe attended some workshops/read some CBT texts to inform your practice, you may be eligible for the PG Diploma.  If you haven’t used specific CBT models under supervision, you may find the Foundation is the best fit for you.

What does a typical day on the course involve?

A typical day on the Foundation Programme starts on Fridays at 9am. The first half of the day involves an interactive lecture on a core CBT skill or theoretical theme (for example, case formulation).  Lunch is not provided but there is a canteen on the site. The afternoon will begin with small group discussions to continue exploring and consolidating the morning’s learning.  This will be followed by supervised 1:1 role-plays to develop your clinical CBT skills and gain feedback from the Programme staff. The final part of the day involves a structured reflection on your personal and practical learning. The day ends at 4:45pm

What do you cover on the course?

The Programme covers core elements of CBT.  It is structured in a circular way so that the theory and skills trainees initially learn are returned to throughout the Programme in different contexts and with different disorders; this offers trainees a means to deepen their understanding and application of CBT in a graded manner.  The core topics include: CBT theory and principles; CBT assessment; case formulation (including the use of disorder-specific models); developing and maintaining the therapeutic relationship; cognitive change intervention; behavioral interventions; relapse preventions and endings; and the integration of CBT skills into health care.  

What would be the benefits of me doing the Programme?

Benefits of the Programme include the development of inter-personal therapeutic skills that are relevant across a variety of health and social care settings.  Such skills include Socratic questioning, clinical case formulation, planning effective short-term treatment, applying evidence-based CBT interventions, and self-reflective practices to aid personal development.  The Programme is designed to be directly applicable for health and social care workers, and a section of the teaching is centered on the transferal of skills back into trainee’s employment.

The Foundation Programme provides an opportunity for continued professional development, with the potential to improve employability and provide access to full CBT psychotherapy training.

The Foundation Programme has been designed to build trainee’s knowledge of common mental health problems, including depression and a variety of anxiety disorders.  Trainees will practice assessing, formulating and treating problems such as social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic disorder from within a CBT framework.  

By studying for the Foundation Programme at the Training Centre, you will receive teaching and regular feedback from a team of fully qualified and accredited therapists.  The Programme is well established and continues to receive high levels of trainee satisfaction (from weekly and overall evaluations).  Trainees on the Foundation Programme will also have access to specialist CBT literature and training resources via the Trust’s library.

How do trainees usually finance the Foundation?

Trainees on the Foundation Programme commonly finance their study in two ways. They are self-financed, and pay independently, or they are supported by their employer who pays their course fees.

Do I have to find clients to work with?

The Programme has recently been redesigned so that trainees don’t have to find suitable clients to work with on the course. This redesign will allow greater access to health and social care workers who would have difficulties accessing appropriate clients with which to train (i.e. clients with mild to moderate mental health problems).  This change will support applicants from ward-based roles, as well as community teams working with client groups with severe and enduring mental health conditions. Trainees will now be assessed and supervised via clinical role-plays.

What if I don’t have a core profession?

Applicants without a core health or social care profession will be considered for eligibility via a shortened version of the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSA) framework. For information about this route see various documents available to download on the Programme website page. The KSA essentially requires prospective trainees to collate evidence that demonstrate adequate experience, knowledge and qualifications to undertake CBT training (as set out by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies).

Relevant core professions include qualifications as a clinical psychologist, mental health nurse, occupational therapist, psychiatrist, social worker, accredited counsellor, health visitor and school nurse

Am I eligible to join the Foundation Programme if I work as a counsellor?

If you are an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) this classes as a core profession and you would not have to complete a KSA (see above).  If you are not an accredited counsellor but have gained a level 3 counselling certificate and have had over 2 years of face-to-face contact with people with mental health difficulties, then you can gain access to the course by completing the KSA.

Does the Programme allow me to become accredited as a cognitive behavioural therapist?

The Programme does not, in itself, allow you to apply for accreditation as a cognitive behavioural therapist with the BABCP.  It can, however, open access to full CBT psychotherapy training.  The training for full accreditation with the BABCP is at post-graduate diploma level, and requires a year of supervised practice. The Foundation Programme provides an excellent foundation and experience of CBT that can either be used as continuing professional developments for trainee’s current roles, or as a stepping stone towards full CBT training and accreditation.   

What do I have to do to pass the Foundation Programme?

To pass the Foundation Programme, trainees are required to complete two DVD recordings of clinical role-plays.  The first role-play is of an assessment and initial formulation.  The second involves a treatment intervention based on a sound formulation. These recordings will take place during course time and will be marked using the Cognitive Therapy Scale- Revised (CTSR) which is the most commonly used scale to assess therapist competence in CBT. 

Trainees will also be required to complete a written reflective essay (maximum 1,000 words) and a short presentation (10 minutes in legth) on their skill development, with reference to clinical and research literature. The structured reflections that form part of each teaching day will prepare you for these assignments, and the library service can support you in a search of relevant literature.

How many people are on each intake?

The intake of trainees for each course is intentionally small to allow for greater support from the course tutors. The trainee numbers vary, but are no greater than 20.

Is there an interview?

Eligible applicants will be invited to short interview with the course team before being offered a place on the Foundation Programme.

Is there anything I should read to prepare for starting the Programme?

While there is no obligation to read anything prior to starting the Programme, as a first step into reading about CBT we would strongly recommend ‘Kennerley, H., Kirk, J. and Westbrook, D. (2016). An Introduction to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: Skills and Applications 3rd Edition.  London. Sage.’.  Trainees are also given access to our GMMH Knowledge and Library Service at the start of the course where they can borrow a copy if they wish. Link: An Introduction to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy | SAGE Publications Ltd

How do I apply for the Programme?

To apply for the Programme, complete the application form Application Form - Foundation in CBT - and return it to Nadine Smith, Programme Administrator, nadine.smith@gmmh.nhs.uk, GMMH Psychological Therapies Training Centre , Psychology Services, Bury New Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 3BL.