Psychological therapies for severe mental health problems

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for psychosis and bipolar disorder (Full training and top-up training).

This two year postgraduate diploma provides a foundation in CBT for a range of problems including anxiety and depression, followed by a specialist training in CBT for  psychosis and bipolar disorder . Approximately 72 days of training will be delivered over the course of the two years alongside associated clinical supervision.  Year one (approx. 36 days) covers depression and anxiety disorders including PTSD. Year two (approx. 36 days) is the specialist pathway focused on psychosis and bipolar disorder. Staff with specific existing CBT competences can undertake just the second year of the training, as "top-up" training. the end of the training we expect all graduates to meet individual accreditation standards as a cognitive behavioural therapist with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP).

Training places are available at: Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), University College of London (UCL), University of Exeter, University of Hull and Oxford Health; please contact your local Chief Psychological Professions Officer or HEE lead for mental health for details.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for personality disorder (full training and top-up training).

This two year postgraduate diploma provides a foundation in CBT for a range of problems including anxiety and depression, followed by a specialist training in CBT for personality disorder. Approximately 72 days of training will be delivered over the course of the two years alongside associated clinical supervision.  Year one (approx. 36 days) covers depression and anxiety disorders including PTSD. Year two (approx. 36 days) is the specialist pathway focused on personality disorder. Staff with specific existing CBT competences can undertake just the second year of the training, as "top-up" training. By the end of the training we expect all graduates to meet individual accreditation standards as a cognitive behavioural therapist with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP).

Training places are available at: Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), University College of London (UCL) and University of Exeter; please contact your local Chief Psychological Professions Officer or HEE lead for mental health for details.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for eating disorders (full training and top-up training).

This two year postgraduate diploma provides a foundation in CBT for a range of problems including anxiety and depression, followed by a specialist training in CBT for eating disorders. Year one covers depression and anxiety disorders including PTSD. Year two is the specialist pathway focused on eating disorders. Staff with specific existing CBT competences can undertake just the second year of the training, as "top-up" training. By the end of the training we expect all graduates to meet individual accreditation standards as a cognitive behavioural therapist with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP).

Training places are available at University College of London (UCL) and University of Sheffield; please contact your local Chief Psychological Professions Officer or HEE lead for mental health for details.

Please note:  practitioners attending these courses are expected on average to devote a minimum of three days a week to the learning and delivery of the particular therapy.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) (full training and top-up training).

This two year postgraduate diploma will provide trainees with advanced conceptual. understanding and skills in the practical application of DBT to a defined standard of competency. One year ‘top-up’ training (in the form of the second year of the training) is available for staff with existing training and experience in DBT equivalent to the first year.

During the first year of training, the programme will deliver a minimum of 10 in-person training days with additional monthly contact time.  During the second year of training, in addition to training days and video / telephone conference calls, all trainees must complete a minimum of 20 hours of individual supervision and 15 hours of group supervision, plus 10 hours of video or audio review of their individual DBT therapy sessions.

Training places are available at British Isles DBT Training; please contact your local Chief Psychological Professions Officer or HEE lead for mental health for details.

Please note:  practitioners attending these courses are expected on average to devote a minimum of three days a week to the learning and delivery of the particular therapy.

Mentalization-based treatment (MBT).

This course provides the knowledge and conceptual understanding of mentalizing, its relevance to clinical problems associated with borderline personality disorder and the clinical skills to deliver MBT to a defined standard of competency to equip trainees to become skilled and creative independent MBT practitioners under expert supervision.  Trainees will be expected to attend 5 days of training and to attend 1 hour supervision sessions at least twice a month (for 22 sessions).  They will also need to attend 40, weekly peer supervision sessions.

Training places will become available early in 2021; please contact your local Chief Psychological Professions Officer or HEE lead for mental health for details.

Please note:  practitioners attending these courses are expected on average to devote a minimum of three days a week to the learning and delivery of the particular therapy.

This video gives an introduction into the principles and impact of MBT, with explanations and insights from one of MBT’s creators Professor Peter Fonagy and Marsha McAdams an expert by experience who says MBT was not only life saving but also life-changing.

Family interventions for psychosis and bipolar disorder

This course provides a theoretical base and skills training to facilitate development of family interventions for psychosis and bipolar disorder to a defined competency.  The course will deliver a minimum of 10 days training plus expert supervision over the course of a year.  It will provide opportunities to develop critical knowledge of the theoretical and research literature relating to family intervention for psychosis and bipolar disorder and develop practical competency in delivering these.

Training places will become available early in 2021; please contact your local Chief Psychological Professions Officer or HEE lead for mental health for details.

Please note:  practitioners attending these courses are expected on average to devote a minimum of three days a week to the learning and delivery of the particular therapy.

Cognitive Analytic Therapy

Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) Practitioner training enables core mental health professionals to learn the theory and methods of CAT as an individual therapy applied to adult mental health, as well as introduction to CAT in groups and consultation settings. The course takes a minimum of two years to complete and is assessed, leading to accreditation as a CAT Practitioner and eligibility for full membership of Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy (ACAT).

The CAT practitioner course equips professionals to work with clients with complex relational problems and adverse childhood experience. These clients would be likely to meet criteria for diagnoses of Borderline Personality Disorder, or Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder and would fall within the scope of nice NICE guidance for these problem types.

To view, Borderline Personality Disorder, The NICE guidelines on treatment and management, click, here.

EMDR Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a specific psychological therapy recommended by NICE for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults.  To support the expansion of mental health delivery in response to the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England aims to ensure a suitable level of availability of NHS EMDR practitioners across Adult IAPT, adult community mental health and specialist perinatal mental health services in England. HEE has also collaborated with partners to deliver a new and comprehensive NHS EMDR training programme starting in 2023. To find out more about this training, visit the EMDR section on the IAPT webpage.

Understanding psychosis and bipolar disorder.

This two-day whole team training provides an update for staff on recent developments in the understanding of psychosis and bipolar disorder.  It provides a holistic, trauma-informed bio-psychosocial perspective of these presentations, both in terms of how we can understand them and to appreciate the range of interventions that can help.

Training places will become available early in 2021; please contact your local Chief Psychological Professions Officer or HEE lead for mental health for details.

Structured clinical management (SCM).

SCM provides a pragmatic psychological approach to delivering a service for people presenting with problems associated with a diagnosis of 'emotionally unstable personality disorder'/ 'borderline personality disorder'.  SCM follows the principles of consistency, coherence, and continuity of interventions to target, the specific difficulties associated with  'personality disorder' and meets all the recommendations for structured clinical care outlined in the NICE Guidance.

SCM training runs for a minimum of 12 months, with 4 days of training and a minimum of 22 hours of supervision with an expert SCM supervisor.  There is also an expectation to attend 40 peer supervision sessions over the course of the training year.  Trainees will be expected to assess and prepare a minimum of 4 patients for SCM and co-facilitate an SCM group for at least 9 months. 

Training places will become available early in 2021; please contact your local Chief Psychological Professions Officer or HEE lead for mental health for details.

Adult eating disorders - whole team training.

This training will ensure members of the team jointly have knowledge and skills to enable the smooth, safe, and effective functioning of a dedicated adult eating disorders team.

Training places are available at: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust SLaM; please contact your local Chief Psychological Professions Officer or HEE lead for mental health for details.

In early 2022, Health Education England and NHS England and NHS Improvement launched a new psychological professions role: mental health and wellbeing practitioner (MHWP). MHWPs will have a salaried and funded training pathway and contribute towards the transformation of adult community mental health services and alongside other established and new roles support the 10,000-increase in psychological professions staff required by 2024, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. 

During the one-year training, MHWPs will, under supervision, develop knowledge and practice skills to employ wellbeing-focused psychologically informed interventions and coordinate care plans for adults with serious mental health problems. It is intended that this additional capacity in teams should release other suitably qualified staff to take up roles with dedicated time to deliver NICE-recommended psychological therapies.

To find out more, visit the psychological profession roles webpage.