Minimum Training Standards
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Minimum Training Standards for the practice of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Introduction

BABCP sets Minimum Training Standards (‘MTS’) for accreditation as a Cognitive and/or Behavioural Psychotherapist. We use these standards to assess whether someone meets the minimum criteria to become accredited. People who use CBT services; employers and members of the general public can use them as a benchmark for CBT training, and can expect someone who is accredited by us to meet these standards.

The standards give details about the level of training, experience and practice that therapists must have in order to become accredited. We use these standards to assess applications for Accreditation as a Cognitive and/or Behavioural Psychotherapist and CBT Course accreditation.

Applicants who successfully complete accredited CBT courses will be assessed against the Minimum Training Standards in force when they were selected to the CBT training programme. Individual applicants for accreditation are subject to the MTS that are in force at the time that they apply for accreditation.

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Minimum Training Standards [PDF]

 

Other documents and resources to read alongside our Minimum Training Standards are:

BABCP Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics

BABCP Complaints process

BABCP Core Curriculum 2021

BABCP Accreditation

The CBT Register UK and Ireland

Minimum Training Standards Summary

This summary information is intended as a helpful overview of the MTS, and should not be used as a substitute for the full Minimum Training Standards

Section 1: Summarises the aims of the MTS

Section 2: Overview of accreditation requirements

To become accredited as a Cognitive and/or Behavioural Psychotherapist, you must show that you have met the standards, as well as providing evidence that:

  • You adhere to BABCP Standards of Performance, Conduct and Ethics
  • CBT is one of your main psychotherapy models
  • You have on-going CBT clinical supervision
  • You participate in continuing professional development (CPD)

Section 3: Your professional background in mental health

  • Mental health professions that we recognise as a suitable background to train in CBT
  • Our process for recognising equivalence via the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSA) portfolio route

Section 4: Evidence of CBT training

  • 450 hours’ specific training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) at postgraduate level. This will be least 200 hours’ direct, structured teaching with 100 hours on core fundamentals of CBT and 250 hours’ self-directed learning
  • 100 hours must be part of a single programme/course. CBT training will be at Postgraduate level (level 11 in Scotland, level 7 in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and level 9 in Ireland), and validated by a higher education institution).
  • Trainers must be appropriately qualified CBT specialists

Section 5: Personal development

  • Self-reflection and self-awareness, process aspects of therapy, reflective journal
  • Anti-discriminatory practice; power; personal and systemic bias; equality, diversity and inclusion

Section 6: Assessment of knowledge, theory, research and/or publication

Section 7: Supervised clinical practice

  • 200 hours’ supervised CBT clinical practice in direct contact with clients
  • 40 hours’ clinical supervision
  • Clinical supervisors must be appropriately qualified
  • 5 hours’ clinical supervision on each of 8 training cases (40 hours)
  • Clinical supervision contract
  • Assessment of competent clinical practice, including - 
    • working with at least three different presentations including anxiety and affective disorders
    • at least eight training cases with close/live supervision on at least three
    • at least three assessed recordings of competent practice
    • four case studies of client work
    • Clinical supervision logs
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