Becoming a CBT Therapist Thriving in Training and Beyond

Foreword

Scott Waltman

Preface

Jason Roscoe

Introduction

Jason Roscoe

Part 1: Making the Switch

1. What is a CBT Therapist?

Jo Williams

2. Pathways to Becoming a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

Helen Moya

3. Charting your Path: Navigating the Journey to Becoming a CBT Therapist Across the UK

Taf Kunorubwe

4. Maximising your Chances at Interview

Cheryl Nicholls and Sarah Priestley 

5. Leaving behind your ‘Previous Professional Self’ – The Challenges of Role Transition 

Mathew Wilcockson

6. Am I Well Suited to the Role? Understanding Some of the Factors that Influence our ‘Alignment’ with CBT

Jason Roscoe and Elaine Davies 

7. Managing as a Trainee with Lived Experience of Mental Health Difficulties

Julia Limper-Menapace 

Part 2: Acquiring & Consolidating your CBT Knowledge and Skills

8. How to Thrive During Training: A Tutor’s Perspective

Gavin Lawton

9. Making the Most of Supervision

Joanne Myers and Sam Thompson

10. Maximising the Training Experience through Shadowing and ‘In vivo’ Work

Alex Preston

11. Developing Essential Competencies in Culturally Inclusive Practice

Shah Alam 

12. Embedding Inclusive Principles within your CBT Practice: Working with Autism, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

 Allan Laville, Anjali Mehta Chandar, Natalie Meek and Eleanour Vialls 

13. Being an Effective CBT Therapist: What our Clients Need From Us

Ashley Fulwood, Commentary by Jason Roscoe

14. First-hand Accounts of Making it Through Training

Laura Hamill, Sam Palin and Jessica Palmer, Commentary by Jason Roscoe

15. A Week in the Life of a Qualified CBT Therapist

Jessica Baines and Jo Anne Bates 

Part 3: Fine Tuning and Expanding Your Knowledge and Skills

16. Get out of your Head and into the Chair: Bringing CBT to Life through Chairwork

Mathew Pugh 

17. “It’s not You, it’s Me”: Addressing Therapist Schemas During CBT Training and Beyond

Vickie Presley

18. How can we Help Others if we Cannot Help Ourselves? The Importance of Self-Practice and Self-Reflection within CBT Training

Natalia Barnes

19. Keeping the Shore in Sight – How to be Flexible in your Practice whilst Retaining the Core Principles of CBT

Jason Roscoe and Denika Campbell-Lee

20. Working in Specialist Services

Andrew Haley, Rebecca Light, and Cassie-Ann Simmonds, Commentary by Jason Roscoe

21. Training in Third Wave and Integrative Approaches

Jim Lucas, Tobyn Bell, Heather Howard Thompson, Commentary by Jason Roscoe

22. Supervising other CBT Practitioners

Jason Roscoe and Natasha Scullane

23. Venturing into Private Practice

Sarah D. Rees

24. From Surviving to Thriving: Going the Distance as a CBT Therapist

Jason Roscoe

Afterword

Lucy Hale

Appendix 1: Alignment to CBT Scale

Appendix 2: Supervision Audit

Appendix 3: FAQ’s within Training and Supervision

Biography

Jason Roscoe is Course Director for the CBT training programmes at Bangor University. He has previously worked as a senior lecturer in CBT at the University of Cumbria, and a course accreditation manager for the Bristish Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). He has published research on CBT training and supervision and also operates a small private practice.

‘Training in CBT can be rewarding yet daunting. The pressures on novice therapists to demonstrate competence with standard protocols while delivering good outcomes is considerable. This new volume will be a valuable vade mecum for therapists in training. Written in an accessible style with useful tips and clinical illustrations, I predict it will become essential reading for all those setting out on their path as cognitive behaviour therapists.’

Dr Stirling Moorey, BABCP President Elect, CBT therapist, trainer and supervisor

‘A personal, honest and reflective account of the pathway to becoming a CBT therapist, which encompasses the broad scope and landscape of current CBT practice. Full of practical, encouraging guidance, with clear illustrative examples to prepare and engage trainees – a must read for any aspiring CBT Therapists!’

Katy Emerson, Lecturer in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Cardiff University

‘This book is a must for everyone considering a career in CBT. Providing a clear and helpful insight into the journey that one must follow to become a therapist, from contemplating this challenge, including the pathway they have to follow along with the potential pitfalls that they are likely to encounter. The book offers very useful tips on how to survive training and beyond and is an essential companion for anyone embarking on the beautiful journey of training as a CBT therapist.’

Arlinda Hasani, Clinical Lead, Talking Therapies, Derby

‘This book offers a wealth of highly relevant advice and guidance to accompany the journey from being a trainee through to establishing oneself as a newly qualified CBT Therapist. It offers pragmatic wisdom and guidance, with authors sharing their authentic experiences of CBT training and practice. This book will be an invaluable aid to CBT therapists over the course of their training and subsequent qualified practice. It will also be a key resource qualified therapists can continue to refer to as they grow and develop throughout their career.’

Dr Mathew Horrocks, Assistant Professor of Mental Health and Psychological Therapies, University of Nottingham