Certificate in CBT skills: 60 credits at level 1 (NQF level 4), or Post-graduate Certificate in Continuing Professional Development: 60 credits at Level 4 (NQF level 7)
These one year part-time Certificate courses provide students with an opportunity to acquire both the practical experience and the theoretical understanding required to use CBT skills with confidence and competence. The course is offered at undergraduate level for those who have no previous experience of Higher Education and at post graduate level for those who already hold a Higher Education qualification.
Please be aware that completion of this course does not confer professional status, although it does provide a good preparation for Diploma level training.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has risen to prominence as the therapy of choice for many common psychological problems. It provides the foundation work in many self–help approaches and its influence can also be seen beyond the field of counselling and therapy.
Central to the model is a focus on helping people to examine and reflect on their thoughts, feelings and behaviours and have more control and greater choice in their lives. The cognitive behavioural approach is also the basis of many programmes used to help people change their behaviour and life styles and is used within fields such as management, criminal justice and the health and caring professions.
This new course will cover some of the recent developments within the CBT field including the use of Mindfulness-based approaches an area with an increasing body of research within CBT. Motivational Interviewing is also explored with its focus on the process of change which makes it a valuable addition to the skills associated with work based on the cognitive behavioural approach and Professional Development.
"The course programme is pioneering a long overdue rapprochement between the cognitive-behavioural and person-centred approaches. This raises the exciting prospect of students learning the best of both traditions and bringing them together in a new form of interpersonally informed and empirically founded psychological therapy.."
Frank Wills Best selling co-author of our recommended key texts: 'Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: An Introduction' and 'Cognitive Therapy: Transforming the Image'
Course content
This course attracts people with a wide range of interests including many from the helping professions including counsellors, substance misuse, advice and learning support workers. The course will help you to develop your skills and understanding of the ways in which the cognitive behavioural approach can be used to enhance your work. The aim of the course is to enable participants to understand individuals’ responses to their life circumstances in terms of the CBT model. The focus is on the skills needed to work with people to help them recognise the thinking distortions that are causing and maintaining distress and the behavioural patterns which reinforce it. You will learn how to formulate problems and practice a wide range of CBT techniques and evaluate the effectiveness of your practice.
The course aims to provide participants with:
- A clear understanding of the theoretical model which underpins the Cognitive Behavioural Approach and the rationale for its use
- An understanding of the conditions necessary for a supportive and collaborative helping relationship in which CBT can be used effectively
- An understanding of the formulation of cognitive processes and maintenance cycles and behaviours
- Familiarity with a range of techniques used in CBT and their appropriate use
- Opportunities to practice and develop the use of CBT skills and techniques
- An understanding of the use of behavioural experiments and their purpose in CBT An understanding of the use of the Cognitive Behavioural approach in a variety of settings
- A good foundation for professional therapist training at Post-graduate Diploma level
There are three main areas of emphasis, which are inter-related throughout the course so that sessions will contain elements of each:
Theory and Professional Issues
- An overview of the theoretical roots of Cognitive Behavioural theory
- Identifying and differentiating between thoughts, feelings and behavioural and exploring their relationship to the maintenance of problems
- The relationship between behavioural and cognitions
- Three levels of cognition: negative automatic thoughts, assumptions and rules and schemas
- The role of formulation and conceptualisation
- Collaborative empiricism
- An understanding of the application of the CBT model in student’s own work setting
CBT-based Helping Skills
- Beginning and ending CBT sessions
- Integrating CBT skills into the students’ model of working
- Structuring CBT sessions
- Setting agendas
- Developing and maintaining the collaborative relationships
- Developing cognitive empathy
- Explaining the CBT approach to clients
- Problem listing and prioritising
- Goal setting
- Cost benefit analysis
- Setting homework
- Use of thought records
- Socratic questioning and guided discovery
- Identifying and challenging cognitive distortions
- Identifying core beliefs and dysfunctional assumptions
- Developing and using longitudinal formulations
- Using CBT in working with people with depression, anxiety and low self esteem
- Action planning
- Activity scheduling
- CBT Model for panic attacks
- Collaborative planning of behavioural experiments
- Reviewing and evaluating behavioural experiments
- Relapse prevention
Personal Development and Reflection on Practice
- Developing the skills of a reflective practitioner
- Identifying and enhancing interpersonal styles of communicating and relating
- Experiential group work
- Giving and receiving feedback constructively
- Keeping a reflective learning journal
- Applying skills and theory to self
- Using personal concerns as material for skills practice
- Identifying strengths and areas for Development
Click here for the latest Postgraduate Certificate in CBT Skills course handbook [PDF, 289KB]
Click here for the latest Undergraduate Certificate in CBT Skills course handbook [PDF, 271 KB]
Coursework and Assessment
Participants will be required to keep a learning journal, complete formative written and practical assignments, participate in group discussion, presentations and complete homework tasks.Course dates for 2011/12
For BOTH undergraduate and postgraduate students:
18th November 2011 to 21st July 2012 - Course tutors: Martin Langsdon and Jodie Pagett
Fridays 9am – 12.30pm (or 3.30pm*)
Saturdays 10am – 4pm
Sessions will take place on the following days:
Term 1: November 18, 25; December 2*, 16.
Term 2: January 13, 20, 27*; February 3, 10, 17, 24; March 2, 9*, 23, 30
Term 3: April 20, 27*; May 4, 11, 18 June 2, 16, 30; July 14, 20
26th November 2011 to 21st July 2012 - Course tutor: Jodie Pagett
Saturdays 10am – 4pm
Sessions will take place on the following days:
Term 1: November 26; December 3, 10
Term 2: January 7, 14, 21, 28; February 4, 11, 25; March 3, 10, 24, 31
Term 3: April 21, 28; May 5, 12; June 2, 16, 30; July 14, 21
Please note, course dates are subject to change.
Entry requirements
Prospective students will need to ensure that they have:
· Satisfactorily completed UEA Introduction to Counselling Skills or suitable alternative course*
· Satisfactorily completed UEA Introduction to CBT or suitable alternative course*
(Please contact admissions at edu.cce.admiss@uea.ac.uk or on 01603 593252 for details of suitable alternative courses)
· Experience of working with people in a helping or supportive role
· Opportunities at work or in voluntary work to use their developing CBT skills during the course
· Time for at least 4-5 hours a week private study. This will include time for guided reading, keeping a reflective learning journal, using CBT Skills in work or voluntary work and completing coursework assignments
Course fees for 2011/2
Undergraduate certificate: For UK/EU students, £1688; for International students, £5500.
Postgraduate certificate: For UK/EU students, £1500; for International students, £3735
If you are not sure whether you are a UK/EU student or an International student, please email edu.cce.admiss@uea.ac.uk. We will send you a Fee Status form to complete.
Fees can be paid in instalments by arrangement with our Finance office. You should contact them after you have been invoiced, usually just after the start of the course.
Which certificate course shall I apply for?
If you have a Higher Education qualification or any qualification at NQF level 4 or above (NVQ level 4, Foundation degree, DipHE, Bachelor degree, etc.), you should apply for the postgraduate certificate (even if you do not hold a full undergraduate degree). If not, you should apply for the undergraduate certificate.
Whilst both certificates receive the same teaching time and content, assessment is slightly different (see above, 'Course content').
Applications
Applications are now closed for 2011 entry.
For further information, or to register your interest for autumn 2012, please email edu.cce.admiss@uea.ac.uk or telephone (01603) 593252.
Applicants working in an NHS-recognised core profession may wish to consider the Postgraduate Diploma in CBT, which starts in April 2012.
Last updated:13th December 2011
