The Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy is a part-time programme which is taken over two years. The programme is aligned with the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) and individuals who successfully complete this programme will have the minimum training standards but may require additional clinical practice hours before applying for BABCP accreditation.

Students register for the Postgraduate Certificate in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in their First Year. Students who pass the Postgraduate Certificate in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and who satisy the additional entry requirements for the Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy may apply for entry to the Postgraduate Diploma taking an additional 30 credits in their second year. 30 hours of clinical supervision by an accredited cognitive behavioural psychotherapist is also a requirement for the Postgraduate Diploma. The cost of this will be borne by students and will be approximately €60-€80 per hour for individual supervision. Where an accredited cognitive behavioural psychotherapist is available in the student’s place of work supervision may be negotiated with their employer. A list of appropriate supervisors will be provided to successful applicants.

Applicants for the Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy must have successfully completed and passed the Postgraduate Certificate in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy* and should normally:

1. Have an Honours Primary Degree or an equivalent qualification in a relevant subject (e.g. Nursing, Medicine, Social Work, Clinical Therapies, Education or other allied disciplines)
2. Be a practising professional (Nursing, Medicine, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Education or other allied disciplines)
3. Applicants who are practising health care professionals must provide evidence of current registration with the relevant professional regulatory body (e.g. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, the Irish Medical Council, the Health & Social Care Professions Council (or equivalent regulatory body for pharmacists, occupational therapist, speech and language therapists etc.)) or be eligible for such registration. Applicants from allied disciplines or teachers must provide evidence of professional certification.
4. Have a minimum of 36 months post registration experience working within a health care or education setting.
5. Applicants must provide a 250 word statement as to how cognitive behavioural psychotherapy will be useful in their work and confirm they have access to individuals experiencing mental health difficulties in order to undertake the clinical component of this programme.
6. All applicants for the postgraduate diploma programme must provide the name and contact details of two referees; at least one of these must be from a work source, either voluntary or paid, who is familiar with their work practice with regards to their suitability for undertaking this programme. The other referee can be from a service user or an employer.

In cases where the number of suitably qualified applicants exceeds the number of places available, selection will be made by interview.

* Note: From 2015-16, students applying for the Postgraduate Diploma must achieve at least 60% in MH6138 on the Postgraduate Certificate in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Students not satisfying this requirement will be required to attend for interview.

Programme Requirements (60 credits)

Year 1
The Postgraduate Certificate in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (30 credits) must be completed and passed before applying for the Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy.

Year 2
Students must complete modules to the value of 30 credits as follows:
MH6000 Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy Core Competences (5 credits)
MH6001 Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy Practitioner Competences (5 credits)
MH6002 Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy for Complex Cases (5 credits)
MH6003 Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy Supervised Practice (5 credits)
NU6005 Research Methods (10 credits) (Blended learning module)

Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.

Examinations
Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards 2017 Book and for each module in the Book of Modules 2016/2017.

Progression to the MSc in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy
Following successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy, students can progress to the MSc in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy. This is not a requirement to practise as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist.

Programme Learning Outcomes for Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy (NFQ Level 9, Major award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a critical and in-depth understanding of the range of factors, which contribute to human problems, that includes personal, social and cultural background factors, human personal strengths, possibilities and mental status.
• Have a critical and in-depth understanding of the body of knowledge, which constitutes the theory of Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy including legal frameworks and codes of professional practice.
• Critically and systematically review research based literature relevant to cognitive behavioural therapy.
• Critically analyse the importance of cognitive behavioural theories to psychotherapeutic practice and contribution to the understanding of both common and complex psychological and emotional functioning.
• Apply clinical skills consistent with the core competences of cognitive behavioural psychotherapy and exercise enhanced professional competences through accountability, autonomy and professional practice
• Demonstrate ethical reasoning within clinical practice and supervision and critically reflect on the practice and process in clinical supervision.