Program Overview

Program Overview

The Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the theoretical concepts and practical applications of CBT in mental health settings.

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

The aim of this unit is to help students build upon knowledge and skills gained from other units to develop additional theoretically informed knowledge of culturally responsive and ethical CBT practices. Students will utilize simulated and real consumer case studies to apply knowledge and skills related to CBT in an integrated fashion to formulate and implement an effective CBT intervention plan.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to:

• Explain the behavioural and cognitive foundations underpinning CBT case formulation
• Describe the evidence-base for CBT case formulation approaches in working in partnership with culturally diverse mental health consumers
• Critically reflect upon the use of a CBT and its impact on consumers and develop practice-based CBT interventions that reflect appropriate ethical and evidence-based practice

Content

Topics will include:

• Evidence base underpinning CBT
• Identifying emotional states and readiness for CBT
• Case formulation
• Behavioural interventions utilized in CBT
• Cognitive processes underpinning CBT
• Thoughts, beliefs, and building resilience

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

The assessment strategy used allows for the progressive development of knowledge and skills necessary for the student to demonstrate understanding of ethical and effective professional practice of evidence-based, ethically bound CBT formulations and interventions.

Assessments

• Assessment Task 1: Written Assessment (30%) - Enable students to demonstrate knowledge of key theoretical concepts underpinning CBT
• Assessment Task 2: Discussion Forum (20%) - Facilitate student collaboration with peers and engage with the lecturer, in an online environment, to extend their knowledge, critical analysis, and application of CBT in practice
• Assessment Task 3: Recorded Presentation (50%) - Enable students to demonstrate capacity to critically reflect upon the use of CBT and its impact in practice

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn.

Representative Texts and References

• Beck, A. (2016). Transcultural cognitive behaviour therapy for anxiety and depression: A practical guide. Routledge.
• Beck, J. (2021). Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: Basics and beyond (3rd Ed). Guilford
• Corrie, S., & Lane, D. (2021). First steps in CBT. Sage
• Foster, K., Marks, P., O'Brien, A., & Raeburn, T. (2020). Mental health in nursing (5th ed.). Elsevier.

Locations

• Online

Credit Points

• 10

Year

• 2026