CBT Training Program - Workshop Anxiety

Certificate in Evidence based CBT for Anxiety Disorders

Diagnosis-specific treatment packages (e.g. for panic disorder, OCD etc.) remain the evidence-based gold standard in CBT.   However, recent research points to common underlying processes amongst the anxiety disorders (Harvey, Watkins, Mansell & Shafran, 2004) which could soon result in exciting new “transdiagnostic” interventions.  This might serve to somewhat simplify treatment and the training of therapists.

In this workshop we will outline:

1. Best practice for the following problem areas:  panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, OCD and GAD
2. Contemporary views on the common underlying processes amongst the anxiety disorders and resulting common interventions eg. decreasing avoidance and  reducing safety-behaviours, utilizing behavioural experiments, reducing worry and rumination

The objectives for this workshop are that participants will:

1. Knowledge: Gain a good understanding of:
   
   
   1. the CBT model of anxiety, its formulation and assessment
   2. the rationale for core CBT interventions for anxiety and the knowledge to put these into practice
   3. some of the common elements (underlying themes/processes and treatment strategies) amongst the anxiety disorders
2. Skills: Gain a strong grounding and/or consolidation and expansion of prior skills in:
   
   
   1. Evidence-based foundational skills and concepts relevant to each of the specific problem areas reviewed:  panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, OCD and GAD
   2. Embedding behavioural experiments and imagery into everyday practice
   3. Building the therapeutic alliance with anxious clients

1. Attitudes: Understand and have experimented with assuming key CBT attitudes. In particular attitudes of:
   1. Curiosity
   2. Collaboration
   3. Engaging willingness to experiment
   4. Warmth, Empathy, and Genuineness of interest and concern
   5. Acceptance and validation of feelings
   6. and the renewed confidence that comes from observing experienced therapists in action and then having time to role play techniques

Applicants will be encouraged to practice CBT skills on themselves post-workshop, as a means to further their confidence to try out their new skills and learned strategies in work contexts

NB. As with other NRUDRH workshops, this workshop will be supported by pre-workshop reading and an exercise (3-4 hrs), and post-workshop reflective practice (1-2 hrs).

References:
Butler, A.C., Chapman, J.E., Forman, E.M. & Beck, A.T. (2006).  The empirical status of cognitive-behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses.  Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 17-31.

Harvey, A., Watkins, E., Mansell, W., & Shafran, R. (2004). Cognitive behavioural processes across psychological disorders. Oxford, UK:  Oxford University Press.

Kessler, R.C., McGonagle, K.A., Zhao, S., Nelson, C.B., Hughes, M., Eshleman, S., et al. (1994).  Lifetime and twelve month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States.  Archives of General Psychiatry, 51, 8-19.

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