Cognitive Behavioural Therapy High Intensity PgDip

University of Birmingham

Our Cognitive Behaviour Therapy High Intensity Postgraduate Diploma provides a significant component of the current requirements for accreditation as a cognitive behavioural therapist by the BABCP. You will gain the knowledge and clinical skills to operate effectively as a psychological therapist.

This High Intensity Diploma is joint funded by Health Education England and local NHS Commissioners and is designed to provide a postgraduate training for Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) High Intensity Cognitive Behaviour Therapists.

The Diploma aims to teach students to achieve the level of knowledge and clinical skills to operate effectively as psychological therapists, using evidence-based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy methods routinely in their work.

Following the success of the IAPT initiative in primary care mental health services, work is in progress to maintain existing IAPT services and to extend into other services whose users could benefit from psychological therapies. This may include a range of mental health services, addictions services, and physical health care services. For trainees to be successful, they will attend university two days per week and three days per week clinical placement, with supervision. Placements are most successful within an IAPT service, and funding is available only to those on placement within specified IAPT or IAPT-commissioned services.

You should note that placement providers may require evidence of your Covid-19 vaccination status before permitting you to commence work in the placement setting.

Details of training

The next cohort will start in late September 2024. Throughout the programme, trainees will attend university two days per week and spend three days per week on clinical placement.

Key Features

• To equip practitioners to offer ‘high intensity’ CBT for people with moderate and moderate to severe depression and anxiety at Step 3 within the primary care settings.
• To equip practitioners to function as skilled, and relatively independent cognitive behaviour therapists, in accordance with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) guidelines for good practice.
• To equip practitioners to reach the necessary standards required for provisional accreditation as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist with the BABCP on successful completion of the course.
• To facilitate the development of a critical knowledge of the theory and research relating to CBT.
• The Postgraduate Diploma in CBT for High Intensity Workers provides all necessary requirements for accreditation as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist by the BABCP. It should be noted, however, that accreditation is a separate process that students who complete the programme can apply for subsequent to graduating.

All prospective students are strongly advised to look at the BABCP website PRIOR to applying to ensure that they understand the Minimum Training Standards for the Practice of CBT, and in particular those relating to the core professional qualification requirements. Applicants without a core profession will need to satisfy the requirements of the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSA) framework, details of which can be found on the BABCP website. More information relating to this can be found by clicking the Entry Requirements tab above.

NB. this advice applies whether a potential applicant intends to apply eventually for BABCP accreditation or not, as the BABCP Training Standards information provides a good overview of CBT related skills and competences in general – which is relevant to ALL those even considering applying for a Diploma in CBT.

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