What if I trained a long time ago?

Graduates of BABCP Accredited Level 2 Courses - there is no limit for applying for accreditation after graduation. However, if you graduated more than five years ago from a Level 2 course and have never been accredited with us, you must provide a completed Return to Practice Supplement and a Professional Reference with your application. This applies even if you have been in CBT practice in this time.

You can find full details in our Return to Practice Policy and on the Practitioner Accreditation page.

Graduates of other post-graduate CBT Training Courses – there is no time limit for applying for accreditation after you have finished you CBT training, although you must demonstrate 12 months CBT practice in the last 3 years. 

Graduates of BPS Accredited Clinical Psychology Doctorates – if your course was not accredited with BABCP, please use the guidance below together with further information here

The guidance on this page is intended to help you if you completed a non-Level 2 CBT training course. 

CBT training hours and experience

If you completed your training a long time ago, it may be more difficult for you to provide evidence of meeting the Minimum Training Standards (such as course timetables, handbooks, CVs - or CBT credentials - of trainers.)

If your CBT training was from other postgraduate courses, please create a timeline of your training and experience, providing evidence of this where you can, and where you can’t, a counter-signatory or a number of counter-signatories can be used to attest to your claims. For example, signed statements from Course Directors or peers you trained with confirming course curricula, or signed statements from others who can attest to your qualifications, the content of your training, your experience, etc.

Within this timeline, you will need to show how your training maps against the main headings of the Core Curriculum. This provides a guide to the expected content of core training in Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies.

Accreditors assessing these applications will take into account long-term commitment to CBT CPD and practice, however you should still do all you can to provide evidence that you have met the Minimum Training Standards.

CBT Training Cases

For information on the cases you can use, please see the final section of CBT Practice for Practitioner Accreditation. 

Four CBT case studies must have been assessed and passed. You can provide evidence of these in one or more of the following ways -

• case study mark sheets from the course - this is the best option if possible
• a letter from the course director confirming the number of CBT case studies which must have been assessed to pass the course
• you can write additional case studies and have them assessed according the the guidelines below. Ask the assessor to provide a mark sheet or a statement to confirm that they have been passed
• if you completed less than four case studies on the course, you can use a mixture of evidence of the cases submitted on the course as well as recently marked ones
• don't send entire case studies - if you studied on a mixed modality course, you can provide evidence that they were CBT specific by providing the title page
• if you have no evidence of completing any case studies during your training, you can write new ones to be assessed now. Ask the assessor to give you evidence that they have been signed off. This page will give you guidance on who can assess these and how they should do it - Case Study Marking Criteria

Three Closely Supervised Cases - You must provide evidence of these. If you cannot get a signature from your supervisor during the course, you can provide other evidence such as signed supervision logs, or you can ask your current supervisor to sign to provide evidence of close supervision of four recent cases. Please refer to the guidelines below

Close Supervision Guidelines