Program Overview

Professional Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy for Psychosis

The Professional Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy for Psychosis is a course delivered in association with the HSE to help build capacity for the National Clinical Programme in Early Intervention Psychosis (EIP). The course is aimed at qualified clinicians working in health provision organisations, with a minimum of a foundation level CBT training or equivalent.

Overview

The course consists of a series of five two-day workshops covering the main theoretical and practical aspects of delivering CBT for psychosis (CBTp). Assessment includes both clinical and theoretical competence via taped sessions and a case study.

Course Details

• Next Intake: Autumn 2025
• Course Director: Dr Craig Chigwedere, Assoc. Prof in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy, Trinity College, Dublin, and Dr Brian Fitzmaurice, Consultant Psychiatrist, HSE, Adj. Assoc. Prof., Trinity College, Dublin
• Closing Date: 1st September 2025

Course Fees

The course fee is €2,300. A number of places have been funded through the HSE, and an expression of interest call for funded places is arranged by Rhona Jennings, Programme Manager, HSE National Clinical Programmes, Mental Health. Funding for nurses may also be available through their regional NMPDU.

Indicative Topics

The course will cover the following topics:

• Assessment and Formulation in CBT for Psychosis
• CBTp targeting positive and negative symptoms
• CBTp targeting anxiety, mood and distress
• CBT for problems with sleep and substance misuse in psychosis
• Understanding and responding to cognitive difficulties in Psychosis
• CBTp focusing on social recovery
• Trauma-informed CBT for psychosis
• CBT for relapse prevention

Course Requirements

In addition to direct teaching, which is delivered over 9 months, approximately 1 day per week should be spent on meeting the course requirements, including:

• Requirement to see 3 CBTp cases with one seen for a minimum of 10 sessions
• Requirement to complete one case study
• Requirement to attend for monthly CBTp supervision
• Requirement to submit session audio recordings to your supervisor for rating and clinical skills development using the Cognitive Therapy Scale – Revised (CTS-R)

Certification

The certificates of completion will be awarded by the Department of Psychiatry in Trinity College Dublin. The in-person training will be facilitated in the Centre for Learning & Development in St James’s Hospital, with the first two days running on the 21st and 22nd of October 2025.