Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Course

Lesson 1 • Ethical and Cultural Considerations

Addresses informed consent, competence boundaries, and cultural adaptation of CBT. Ensures students apply CBT responsibly across diverse client populations.

Lesson 2 • Core Theoretical Assumptions

Examines the cognitive mediation model and the role of learning in psychopathology. Grounds students in the assumptions that justify every CBT intervention.

Lesson 3 • The Cognitive Model Explained

Introduces automatic thoughts, intermediate beliefs, and core beliefs as a hierarchy. Students learn to map how cognition drives emotion and behaviour.

Lesson 4 • CBT Compared to Other Therapies

Contrasts CBT with psychodynamic, humanistic, and pharmacological approaches. Clarifies CBT's unique emphasis on present-focused, structured, skill-based intervention.

Lesson 1 • Identifying Cognitive Patterns

Focuses on detecting cognitive distortions and schema themes within assessment data. Students practise linking client narratives to specific cognitive patterns.

Lesson 2 • Translating Conceptualisation into Goals

Guides students from formulation to measurable, collaborative treatment goals. Connects assessment findings directly to the intervention strategies introduced in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Standardised Assessment Measures

Reviews validated self-report and clinician-rated tools used in CBT practice. Students select and interpret measures appropriate to specific presenting concerns.

Lesson 4 • Clinical Interviewing for CBT

Covers structured and semi-structured interview techniques specific to CBT assessment. Students learn to elicit presenting problems, history, and maintaining factors efficiently.

Lesson 1 • Psychoeducation as a Therapeutic Tool

Covers how to teach clients the cognitive model in accessible, personalised ways. Effective psychoeducation increases client engagement and homework compliance.

Lesson 2 • Collaborative Empiricism in Practice

Defines collaborative empiricism as the relational stance unique to CBT. Students practise balancing therapist guidance with client autonomy and curiosity.

Lesson 3 • Managing the Therapeutic Alliance

Addresses ruptures, resistance, and alliance repair within a CBT framework. Students learn to use alliance problems as clinical data rather than obstacles.

Lesson 4 • Homework and Between-Session Practice

Establishes homework as a core CBT mechanism for skill generalisation. Students design, assign, and troubleshoot between-session tasks effectively.

Lesson 1 • Identifying Automatic Thoughts

Teaches methods for surfacing automatic thoughts in session and between sessions. Students use thought records and imagery to access hot cognitions reliably.

Lesson 2 • Cognitive Distortion Correction Strategies

Provides targeted techniques for each major cognitive distortion category. Students match specific correction strategies to identified distortion types.

Lesson 3 • Thought Records and Behavioural Experiments

Guides students through completing and assigning multi-column thought records. Behavioural experiments are introduced as empirical tests of automatic thoughts.

Lesson 4 • Modifying Intermediate and Core Beliefs

Addresses deeper belief change using continuum work, historical review, and positive data logs. Students distinguish surface thought change from schema-level restructuring.

Lesson 1 • Behavioural Activation Principles

Covers the activity-mood relationship and scheduling as a depression intervention. Students design graded activity hierarchies tailored to individual client profiles.

Lesson 2 • Skills Training and Behavioural Rehearsal

Covers social skills, assertiveness, and communication training within CBT. Students use modelling, role-play, and feedback to build client behavioural repertoires.

Lesson 3 • Problem-Solving Therapy Skills

Presents the structured problem-solving model as a CBT behavioural component. Students guide clients through defining problems, generating solutions, and evaluating outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Exposure Therapy Fundamentals

Introduces inhibitory learning theory and the structure of exposure hierarchies. Students construct fear hierarchies and plan graduated exposure sequences.

Lesson 1 • Relapse Prevention and Termination

Prepares clients for therapy ending through explicit relapse prevention planning. Students conduct termination sessions that consolidate gains and build self-efficacy.

Lesson 2 • Developing a CBT Treatment Plan

Translates case conceptualisation into a sequenced, time-limited treatment plan. Students specify interventions, session frequency, and measurable milestones.

Lesson 3 • Routine Outcome Monitoring

Establishes session-by-session measurement as a feedback-informed practice tool. Students select, administer, and interpret progress measures to detect deterioration early.

Lesson 4 • Adapting Treatment Based on Data

Teaches clinical decision rules for modifying interventions when progress stalls. Students practise case consultation reasoning using outcome data and conceptualisation.

Lesson 1 • CBT for OCD and Related Conditions

Teaches exposure and response prevention as the primary OCD intervention. Students understand the role of neutralising behaviours and appraisal in OCD maintenance.

Lesson 2 • CBT for Depression

Covers the cognitive triad, behavioural activation, and relapse prevention for depression. Students implement a full depressive episode protocol from assessment to termination.

Lesson 3 • CBT for Trauma and PTSD

Covers trauma-focused cognitive therapy and prolonged exposure for PTSD. Students learn to address trauma memories, stuck points, and avoidance safely.

Lesson 4 • CBT for Anxiety Disorders

Addresses overestimation of threat and intolerance of uncertainty across anxiety presentations. Students apply exposure and cognitive restructuring to generalised, social, and panic anxiety.

Lesson 1 • Continuing Professional Development in CBT

Maps pathways for ongoing CBT training, certification, and evidence-based updating. Students create a personal development plan aligned with evolving CBT research.

Lesson 2 • CBT Supervision Models

Covers competency-based supervision frameworks and the use of session recordings. Students learn to give and receive structured feedback that improves CBT fidelity.

Lesson 3 • Managing Complex and Challenging Cases

Addresses personality disorders, chronic suicidality, and treatment-resistant presentations. Students apply advanced formulation and pacing strategies for high-complexity clients.

Lesson 4 • Therapist Self-Reflection and Schema Awareness

Examines how therapist schemas and emotional reactions affect CBT delivery. Students use self-monitoring tools to identify and manage countertransference in CBT.