The Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy 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 met the minimum training standards and can apply for individual accreditation.

Applicants for the Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy will normally:

1. Have an Honours Primary Degree or an equivalent qualification in a relevant subject (e.g. Nursing, Medicine, Social Work, Clinical Therapies, Special Needs Education or other allied disciplines)
2. Be a practising professional in a recognised Core Profession* as follows:
   - Registered Nurse-Mental Health or Intellectual Disability Nursing (Registered Nurse in Intellectual Disability (RNID),
   - Psychology - 1st degree plus a postgraduate qualification (MSc or Doctorate) in an applied area such as clinical, counselling, educational, forensic, health psychology. HCPC Registered as Practitioner Psychologist (HCPC registration alone is insufficient),
   - Psychotherapy/Counselling (Accredited with the IACP),
   - Medicine (Psychiatrist or General Practitioner, MB, BCh, BAO and usually PG training with membership of MRCGP, MRCP or MRCPsych),
   - Social Work (CQSW, DipSW or BA/BSc Hons Social Work),
   - Probation Services - DipPS,
   - Occupational Therapy (BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy, MSc Occupational Therapy, or Dip C.O.T and HCPC Registered),
   - Arts Therapists - HCPC Registered,
   - Teacher of Special Education Needs (CertEd, B.Ed, or BA/BSc with PGCE, plus additional specialist training in Special Education, with additional counselling / psychotherapy training); Medicine, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Education or other allied disciplines).
3. Applicants must provide evidence of current registration with the relevant professional regulatory body as detailed above (e.g. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, the Irish Medical Council, the Health & Social Care Professions Council) or be eligible for such registration.
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 therapy 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.

*Core Professions are those recognized by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP). For a full list please see: http://www.babcp.com/Accreditation/Core-Profession.aspx

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

Garda Vetting
Students, or applicants in receipt of an offer, on this programme will be subject to Garda Vetting as relevant. Students will be prohibited from engaging in a relevant work placement unless the vetting process has been cleared. Click here to view UCC's Student Garda Vetting Policy.

Year 1
Students take modules to the value of 30 credits as follows:
MH6000 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Core Competencies II (5 credits)
MH6001 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Core Competencies I (5 credits)
MH6136 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Models: Behavioural Activation for Depression (5 credits)
MH6137 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Models of Anxiety Disorders (10 credits)
MH6139 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Supervised Practice 1 (5 credits)

Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.
Year 2
Students take modules to the value of 30 credits as follows:
MH6003 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Supervised Practice II (5 credits)
MH6133 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Complex Cases (10 credits)
MH6134 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Depression and Comorbidity (5 credits)
NU6005 Evidence Based Practice for Healthcare Professionals (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 2020/2021 Book and for each module in the Book of Modules, 2020/2021.

Exit award: Postgraduate Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (NFQ Level 9, Minor Award)
Upon satisfactory completion of modules to the value of 30 credits, students may opt to exit the programme and be conferred  with a Postgraduate Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. This award does not permit an individual to practice as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist.

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

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

• Demonstrate a critical and in-depth understanding of a range of factors, which contribute to human problems, including personal, social and cultural background factors, human personal strengths, possibilities and mental status from a cognitive behavioural perspective;
• Have a critical and in-depth understanding of the body of knowledge, which constitutes the theory of Cognitive Behavioural therapy 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 their contribution to the understanding of both common and complex psychological and emotional functioning;
• Apply clinical skills consistent with the core competences of cognitive behavioural therapy 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.

Programme Learning Outcomes for Postgraduate Certificate in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (NFQ Level 9, Minor Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate and apply a detailed knowledge of the key principles of developing and maintaining a collaborative therapeutic relationship within a CBT framework;
• Understand and critically evaluate human development, cognitive and behaviour theory;
• Apply principles of human development, cognitive, and behaviour theories when working with people experiencing mental health problems;
• Critically appraise and evaluate the treatment rationales for the various CBT models;
• Critically evaluate the evidence base for utilising each CBT model for the specified problem;
• Critically appraise different CBT models of mental health problems;
• Apply the principles of each CBT model when working with people experiencing mental health problems.