Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (October/November 2022). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas MSc This course aims to provide students with a high-level of expertise in applying evidence-based findings to clinical practice. Students are admitted to the MSc in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy via one of two strands: Research strand The strand guides students through the process of developing and implementing an independent research project in their own clinical setting. This two-year, research-based award is an extension to the PGDip in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and provides a foundation for carrying out research and publishing an academic paper. Clinical strand This strand allows students to benefit from the range of specialist teaching available in the new course structure and to obtain a high-level of proficiency in implementing evidence-based treatment across a wide range of clinical presentations, and in disseminating these treatments as trainers and supervisors to other practitioners. PGDip The Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy builds on credits obtained in the Postgraduate Certificate. Applicants to this award must therefore have already completed, or currently be completing, the PGCert in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or the PGCert in Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at the University of Oxford/Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre. The Postgraduate Certificate will be subsumed by the Postgraduate Diploma. There are currently five pathways for this course representing different specialisms: Children and Adolescents, CBT for comorbid, chronic and systemic difficulties (formerly Complex Presentations), Psychological Trauma and Personality Development, Psychosis and Bipolar, and Supervision and Training. You will choose one specialist pathway, which you will follow for the duration of your course. The duration of each specialist pathway will vary, from five to eleven months. Students will be expected to have access to treatment settings with regular clinical and CBT supervision where cognitive behavioural therapy skills can be practised and refined on a regular basis. PGCert This course aims to equip practitioners with the CBT skills necessary to implement evidence-based treatment for the most common psychological disorders. It comprises 21 days of teaching over two terms, including weekly supervision groups. The course does not aim to prepare students to teach and supervise CBT. The emphasis is on acquiring, practising and communicating specialised clinical skills, within an explicit theoretical framework in relation to associated empirical research. Course structure The course begins in September, with five days teaching over the first two weeks of the course followed by one full-day per week (Friday) over two terms. Students receive two hours of small group supervision weekly focussing on CBT skills development. In teaching sessions, emphasis is placed on observation of CBT in action and on experiential learning with participation in role-play and other practical exercises. Students will be expected to have access to adult treatment settings where they can access training cases suitable for novice CBT therapists (i.e. mild-moderate presentations of common mental health problems) and where cognitive behavioural therapy skills can be practised and refined on a regular basis throughout the course. Students will also be responsible for arranging regular CBT supervision in the treatment setting from a qualified CBT practitioner. Reading and completion of written assignments will be undertaken in addition to the teaching day outlined above. Many students find it effective to set aside six to seven hours a week for private study.