PYMFUN-Fundamentals of Evidence-Based Treatments (CBT)

Module Provider: Psychology
Number of credits: 40 [20 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites: PYMANX Theory and Practice for Anxiety Disorders and PYMDEP Theory and Practice for Depression
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Ms Julia Limper
Email: j.limper@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module will cover the basic knowledge and clinical skills for delivering evidence based psychological treatment with adults. Basic knowledge and skills in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy will be covered.  Specific knowledge and skills with respect to anxiety disorders and depression will be covered in subsequent modules.

Aims:

1. To develop practical competency in the fundamentals of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy


2. To develop critical knowledge of the theoretical and research literature of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Assessable learning outcomes:

General:

1. Evidence of theoretical, evidence-based interventions integrated within and guiding therapy.


2. Ability to implement and critically evaluate a range of CBT interventions (such as setting goals, eliciting and evaluating thoughts, identifying and working with safety behaviours, problem solving).


3. Begin to take personal responsibility for clinical decision making in complex and unpredictable situations.


4. Demonstrate insightful knowledge of CBT and an ability to identify own values and beliefs and the application of CBT to their own lives.


5. Make best use of supervision on the course and evidence of making use of and continuing to learn from on-going continuing professional development.


6. Demonstrate an ability to sensitively adapt CBT and ensure equitable access to diverse cultures and values.


7. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the principles and practice, and competency in delivering high intensity psychological therapy within a stepped care system.

Specific:

1. Knowledge of diagnostic classification and key characteristics of common mental health disorders.


2. Assessment of clients for suitability for short-term CBT.


3. Deliver a clear CBT treatment rationale derived collaboratively and appropriateto the individual client.


4. Construct maintenance and developmental CBT conceptualisations.


5. Set an Agenda, pace and structure CBT sessions.


6. Set agreed goals for treatment which are specific, achievable and measurable.


7. Work with clients using guided discovery, adopting an open and inquisitive style within the cognitive behavioural model.


8. Identify and evaluate key cognitions, working with automatic thoughts and helping the client develop an alternative perspective.


9.  Identify and conceptualise common thinking errors and processing biases.


10.  Identify and evaluate underlying assumptions, attitudes and rules.


11. Employ a range of change techniques such as pie charts, advantages and disadvantages, continuums, positive data logs.


12. Identify and evaluate core beliefs, employing a range of change techniques.


13. Elicit cognitions associated with upsetting emotion with skilful use of empathy.


14.  Identify problematic cognitions, related behaviours, and construct, carry out and evaluate behavioural experiments.


15. Demonstrate on-going critical evaluation of the CBT conceptualisation with evidence of a clear treatment plan.


16. Develop CBT treatment plans for straightforward cases of anxiety and depression.


17. Develop CBT treatment plans for more complex presentations, including a range of depression and anxiety disorders and cases of co-morbidity.


18. Ability to form effective therapeutic relationship with evidence of teamwork, collaboration and joint summarising of sessions.


19. Ability to deal with ending therapy and planning for long term maintenance of gains with evidence of a relapse prevention plan.

Additional outcomes:

A training log specifying the length of study, number of taught hours and a record of the lecturers, tutors or mentors participating in a therapist’s training is kept by the student.

Outline content:

The module will comprise in-class teaching, clinical skills practice/supervised clinical practice, supervision in-service and independent study.  Teaching and supervision is delivered by experienced BABCP accredited therapists. The following will be covered:

• Phenomenology, diagnostic classification and epidemiological characteristics of common mental health disorders


• CBT theory and development


• CBT Assessment and formulation


• Risk assessment, mental state examination, personal, medical history


• Knowledge of relevant pharmacological interventions


• Application and suitability for CBT: guidelines, case applications and contra-indications (to include assessment of alcohol/substance misuse)


• Fundamental principles of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy e.g. Collaborative empiricism: clinical process – formulation, rationale giving, measurement, active treatment,relapse prevention: structuring sessions – agenda setting, summarising, setting homework


• Use of standard and idiosyncratic clinical measurement to monitor CBT process and outcome


• The role of the therapeutic relationship in CBT


• Assessment methodology: clinical and research: clinical trials; outcome studies


• Theories and experimental studies of process.


• Application of theory and method to the individual case


• Application of CBT with more complex presentations, deriving CBT driven formulations in cases of co-morbidity


• Experiential learning illustrating how cognitive behavioural methods can be applied to the students’ own lives


• The role of supervision (how to make best use of supervision on the course and after training)


• Effective use of supervision to help students identify own values and beliefs in working with CBT to enhance and regulate good practice


• Values, culture and diversity (access, ethical, professional and cultural considerations)


• An overview of the principles of the stepped care system and the role of high intensity psychological therapy within that framework

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

1. Experiential and skills-based workshops providing students with a strong foundation in the clinical procedures of CBT and addressing the most up-to-date research developments.


2. Skills based competencies will be developed through small group experiential work and role plays in workshops, group supervision by course members and individual/group supervision in the place of work.


3. On-going clinical supervision provided by members of the course team and a t the place of work.


4. Self-directed study to include general reading for each course and preparatory reading for each session. DVD/video library and web based resources will be available in order that students can borrow and study examples of clinical therapy sessions and clinical demonstrations of specific techniques.

Case management and problem-based learning will be facilitated through a combination of course and work-based supervision.

Contact hours:

Teaching contact hours: average minimum of 100 hours; the total minimum teaching contact hours (including clinical skills workshops and supervision) summed across modules PYMFUN, PYMANX and PYMDEP is over 300 hours.



Supervision contact hours: average minimum of 12 hours in University and 12 in the Service.  The total minimum supervision contact hours summed across modules PYMFU N, PYMANX and PYMDEP is 70 hours.

 

Total contact hours:  Minimum of 400, to include lectures, clinical skills, supervision and guided independent study.

 

 

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures		75
Seminars		25
Practicals classes and workshops		150
External visits		150
Total hours by term		400
Total hours for module	400

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written assignment including essay	33.4
Report	33.3
Portfolio	33.3

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

The assessment has four parts:

1. Written Essay assignment


2. Written assignment based on the clinical practice with a client with anxiety


3. A practical skills assessment of a clinical session marked using a standardised rating scale. The recording is linked to written assignment 2 above

The assessments will be weighted equally.

All practical skills assessments are assessed using a standardised measure and must pass at 50% with no auto fail criteria. 

Formative assessment methods:
In addition to the summative assessment for this module, the student will be required to submit:

1. A video recording of an assessment session using a standardised rating scale. The recording is rated by a member of the course team in supervision and self-rated by the student using CTS-R. The recording must be different from those submitted for PYMANX and PYMDEP. All are assessed using the Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale Revised (Blackburn, I., James, I.A., Milne, D.A., Baker, C., Standart, S., Garland, A., & Reichelt, K.A., (2001) Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 29, 431-446).

Penalties for late submission:

The below information applies to students on taught programmes except those on Postgraduate Flexible programmes. Penalties for late submission, and the associated procedures, which apply to Postgraduate Flexible programmes are specified in the policy “Penalties for late submission for Postgraduate Flexible programmes”, which can be found here: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmissionpgflexible.pdf
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

50% in each piece of assessed work for 1, 2 and 3.   A minimum of 80% attendance is required.

Reassessment arrangements:

Students who do not obtain the required pass mark in the summative assessed work will be given the opportunity to resubmit, on one further occasion, any individual assessment that has been failed. The re-sit grade cannot exceed 50%. If a student does not complete the required attendance, they are expected to catch up on missed teaching hours by watching a recording of the session and submitting a 1500 word reflective piece on the topic.  If attendance falls below 80% for any module it will not be possible to make up the missed teaching hours in the current year. Arrangements can be made for students to attend missed teaching in the following year in order to pass the module but this would delay completion of the Diploma.

Completion of studies is dependent on employment within an IAPT Service and ongoing access to an IAPT appropriate clinical caseload. Students must successfully pass all modules of the training programme. Therefore, a student’s studies may be terminated if they are no longer working in an IAPT service, no longer have access to an ongoing IAPT appropriate caseload, or fail coursework at second attempt.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: None

2) Specialist equipment or materials: None

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: None

4) Printing and binding: None

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: None

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: None

Last updated: 30 March 2023