By Judith S. Beck, PhD
President
At Beck Institute, we teach and practice Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) the way that CBT was originally developed by my father, Dr. Aaron T. Beck—and refined over the years. And while we stay true to the cognitive model, we continually expand and adapt the practice of CBT in accordance with the latest research.
All our live and on-demand trainings focus on how to conceptualize, plan, and carry out treatment for each individual client. If you haven’t received training from Beck Institute, I recommend that you consider our Basics of CBT and CBT in Practice on demand courses. These two foundational trainings will guide you to implement effective CBT and the principles they emphasize will be important, no matter what population you’re treating and in whatever setting you work. Both courses, especially when taken together, will help you build a solid foundation in CBT with Beck Institute experts and will increase your competence and confidence.
Some clinicians wonder whether they really need to take basic courses. I tell them that I became so much more proficient myself in using CBT by taking courses over and over. Each year, when a new class of post docs started, I either took the basic course again or taught it myself. I truly believe that learning to be a proficient CBT therapist is like learning how to be a skilled jazz musician. It’s important to master the basics and practice them over and over again so you’ll know how and when you need to improvise.
The following descriptions can help you decide which course to take—or whether to take both.
Basics of CBT: Essentials I was originally named “Essentials of CBT.” In this course, I help health and mental health professionals of all skill levels expand their understanding of CBT. The course provides you with the history of CBT, the theory behind CBT, and a step-by-step description of how to use CBT.
Essential topics include conceptualizing cases according to the cognitive model, structuring sessions, developing a sound therapeutic relationship, and collaboratively developing Action Plans. You will practice by using CBT techniques on yourself, to give you a greater understanding of why and how to use specific interventions and how to better explain the rationales and process to clients. Role play demonstrations, annotated transcripts, conceptualization diagrams, worksheets, and clinical roundtables with a panel of expert therapists illustrate the main principles of CBT treatment.
The Basics of CBT: Essentials I will allow you to begin implementing CBT in your therapeutic practice. It’s a great place to start training with Beck Institute, especially if you didn’t extensively study CBT (as developed by Aaron Beck) in graduate school. It’s accessible to non-therapists, as well.
CBT in Practice: Essentials II (originally called CBT in Practice) is led by Dr. Allen Miller, Beck Institute’s Director of CBT Programs. Teaching methods include didactic presentations, role play demonstrations, and suggested practice activities.
Detailed explanation and demonstrations are provided to illustrate the application of each item on the Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale-Revised (CTRS-R). The CTRS-R is an eleven-item scale used at Beck Institute that defines actions to be taken by therapists when providing structured CBT sessions. The scale is also used by Supervisors to evaluate therapists’ fidelity to the Beck Model in the delivery of CBT and for certification. In this course, each of the eleven items is defined and demonstrated with different clients who have different presenting issues.
This course digs into the “how” of practicing CBT: how to establish a therapeutic alliance, generate internal motivation, structure therapy sessions, and develop effective action plans for each client. Additionally, you will learn to design effective treatment plans based on your conceptualizations, to elicit and respond appropriately to feedback, and much more. The many role plays included in this course demonstrate what CBT sessions look like and provide guidance to those who are just learning. For seasoned therapists, this course provides the latest developments in the practice of CBT. Upon completion of the course, you will have practiced the most current version of CBT and you will be prepared to provide competent care for each client.
Essentials II is appropriate for mental health professionals working with individuals in a clinical setting, although the lessons learned can be applied to many settings and client populations, both within and outside of a clinic.
I hope you’ll give our courses a try. If you have any questions about them, please reach out to help@beckinstitute.org.