Why learning CBT from the Source is vital to the practice of great CBT across different education backgrounds. 

In 2018, Beck Institute (BI) and the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) Sex Offense Treatment and Assessment Program (SOTAP) began a partnership to bring foundational Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) trainings to the organization’s clinical staff members. As BI continues to partner with this organization through the provision of our Essentials of CBT on-demand course to their new hires, we provide training in the most important components of CBT for clinicians and staff members working directly with incarcerated individuals. 

The Washington State DOC SOTAP is committed not only to safety, but also to providing adequate treatment for those in the correctional population who need treatment for sexual deviancy. When fully staffed, the SOTAP employs 46 clinicians and two psychologists, as well as managers and administrators. They have approximately 600 clients in treatment at a given time in a year, under normal circumstances.   

Through the BI Training for Organizations program, we worked together to increase staff members’ understanding and practice of CBT. The partnership began with a question posed by Corey McNally, MS, LMHC, Clinical Quality Assurance and Training Manager for the Washington State DOC SOTAP, who had no prior connection to BI before beginning this training. McNally thought, “Would it be possible to get training right from the source for CBT—from Beck Institute?” He reached out to Program Director Bonnie Nicolari, MS, and soon recognized that BI would do an excellent job in fulfilling their organization’s need for quality CBT training. 

As a key component of this partnership, all Washington DOC SOTAP staff clinicians take Beck Institute’s Essentials of CBT course. This course is an ideal starting point to learn the basics of CBT from one of the world’s leading experts, Judith S. Beck, PhD, who is also the co-founder and president of BI. 

The Washington State DOC SOTAP requires all clinical staff members and new hires to complete this course to master the fundamentals in the conceptualization and practice of CBT. In addition to this training, clinical supervisors in the program hold ongoing discussions on the application of CBT with the individuals with whom they work. McNally explains, “The research in our field indicates that providing CBT should be the primary form of treatment for our clients and has the greatest impact on reducing sexual recidivism.”  

McNally also recognizes that CBT is not taught in the same way everywhere, and that quality CBT training is essential to getting the best outcomes for the individuals in his team’s care.  

“To reduce the variability and stick to the research, we made the decision to provide all our clinicians with the same foundation to provide a grounding area in the delivery of CBT. Our clinicians come from different schools, which may teach CBT differently, and we wanted to have our foundation come from the originators [Beck Institute] to ensure we have a good start.” 

We are excited to continue partnering with the Washington State DOC SOTAP. CBT can be applied in so many settings to so many issues, and this important partnership highlights this adaptability. We provide trainings like this to organizations worldwide with the hope of expanding access to excellent CBT and, ultimately, improving client outcomes. 

Interested in bringing excellent CBT and CT-R training to your organization? Learn more and contact us today!