PROFESSIONAL DIPLOMA IN COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY 

A ONE YEAR PART-TIME ACADEMIC PROGRAM 2024-2025

The Faculty of Medicine at St. George University of Beirut (SGUB) and the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology at St. George Hospital University Medical Center (SGHUMC), in partnership with IDRAAC and in conjunction with the Beck Institute, USA, is launching the one year part-time program in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Below you will find a detailed description of the program, admission criteria, course content, and application process. For further information, please contact the program manager, Zalpha Rizk, at CBTdiploma@idraac.org. 

The program aims to expand the scope of clinical training opportunities available at both the Faculty of Medicine at St. George University of Beirut (SGUB) and the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology at St. George Hospital University Medical Center (SGHUMC), as well as the Institute for Development, Research, Advocacy and Applied Care (IDRAAC), and to establish a formal Diploma in CBT.

It will be implemented in conjunction with The Beck Institute, USA. It is planned to start on January 6, 2025.

• The program aims to provide students with a sound knowledge of cognitive-behavioral models, concepts and methods.
• Understanding of issues of importance relating to the theory and practice of cognitive therapy. These include the relationship between cognitive theory and therapy, the use of cognitive therapy with a variety of client groups and disorders, and related research on outcome and process.
• Competence in assessing patient suitability for cognitive therapy, in developing cognitive case-formulations, in devising and implementing individual treatment programs and in evaluating their effects.
• Ability to convey clearly the central concepts of cognitive therapy and to communicate basic treatment skills.
• The emphasis is on acquiring, practicing and communicating specialized clinical skills, within an explicit theoretical framework, and in relation to associated empirical research.

At the end of the course students are expected to:

• Practice cognitive therapy responsibly and effectively with patients/clients with relatively straightforward, acute mental health problems (anxiety, depression)
• Understand the key principles of cognitive therapy for personality disorders, severe mental illness and complex cases
• Provide cognitive conceptualizations for a range of problem areas, including both developmental and maintaining processes
• Demonstrate effective application of a range of cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, appropriately selected within the context of a coherent treatment strategy
• Demonstrate the ability to establish and maintain warm, collaborative therapeutic relationships with patients/clients, and to manage therapy process using a cognitive conceptual framework
• Demonstrate the ability to work in a structured way in therapy, using goal-setting, agendas, summaries and feedback 

It is planned to start on January 6, 2025.

RATIONALE FOR INITIATING THE PROGRAM

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the psychological treatments that have been the most consistently scientifically tested, warranting its inclusion among the evidence-based treatments. It is based on the biopsychosocial model, which emphasizes the intimate relation between perceptions, emotions and behavior. The way people perceive situations is determined by specific information-processing patterns. Some of those are dysfunctional and impact the way they think, feel and behave, maintaining the dysfunctional patterns that underlie emotional disorders. Through CBT, patients learn specific skills that involve identifying and modifying their maladaptive patterns, managing their symptoms and acquiring new attitudes and behaviors in approaching their distress.

Why is CBT needed?

CBT effectiveness has been demonstrated consistently across a wide range of mental health disorders. It has been strongly advocated by the international scientific communities, professional and governmental organizations as being the recommended treatment for depression, all anxiety disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse and psychotic disorders. It is also used as the benchmark serving to compare other treatment modalities in mental health research such as medications or other forms of psychotherapies.

Why us?

• In 1981, our department, as a department of the St. George Hospital, was the first in the country to combine psychiatry and clinical psychology specialties in the same department, allowing professionals from both fields to work together in a multidisciplinary team approach, offering a comprehensive service to the patients’ utmost benefit and a benchmark for other institutions. Since then, it has maintained a unique setting which has increased learning diversities and opportunities for students.
• Our department is dedicated to providing both psychotherapy and medical services, teaching future professionals in mental health and ensuring state-of-the art training and supervision for students, at the different levels of their education. It also became a leading research center in the Region, thanks to its collaboration with Harvard University, the WHO and its numerous national and international publications.
• Our department was also the first, in the country, to apply a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach for the treatment of mental disorders, upon the return of one of its members from Beck’s center for Cognitive Therapy in the United States (US) in 1992. The growth and advancement of this discipline were carried out through continuous education and accreditations from the Beck Institute and the Academy of Cognitive Therapy in the U.S.A. and the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Center (OCTC) in the UK.
• Our department is continuously solicited by domestic institutions and by students, upon their personal initiative, to join our clinical training. Our training also offers the possibility to combine clinical and research opportunities in one same practicum. We have already served the majority of local universities, as well as many students living abroad who had come for specific clinical practicum or rotation. Nowadays, beginning therapists and trainees are putting high pressure on the department to get a formal CBT training.
• Working within a medical institution and belonging to a leading university has made access to students and infrastructure facilities easier. Already established contacts with international bodies and academic institutions make it possible for us to collaborate to get support. 

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA

Places are available for 10-12 students.

1. Applicants are required to have at least one of the following:

• PhD. in Clinical Psychology.
• Master in Clinical Psychology.
• M.D or resident specialized/specializing in Psychiatry.
• Other Mental Health specialists with equivalent qualifications.
  
  2. All applicants should have at least one year of clinical experience in mental health
  3. Be competent in general clinical skills (e.g. forming a therapeutic relationship and communicating effectively, since the course provides specialized training, rather than the basics of good clinical practice.)
  4. Have some knowledge of CBT; e.g. knowledge and experience of the approach (reading, attendance at workshops, basic supervised psychotherapy practice).
  5. Demonstrate commitment to developing cognitive therapy skills for use in clinical practice.  
  6. Have access to treatment settings where cognitive therapy skills can be practiced and refined on a regular basis.
  7. Be able to obtain the time, money, and managerial support for the course. 

Exceptions to these criteria are at the discretion of the course organizers. Admission to the program is decided based on the credentials of the candidate and an oral interview.

COURSE DIRECTOR

Aimee Nasser Karam, Ph.D. Clinical Psychology. CBT therapist and supervisor.

Head Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology at St. George Hospital University Medical Center and Professor at SGUB, Faculty of Medicine.

Research fellow and a founding member of IDRAAC (Institute for Development, Research, Advocacy and Applied Care) www.idraac.org.

Academy for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy Diplomate (ACBT).

Postdoctoral Diploma in Advanced Cognitive Therapy Studies: EABCT, Level 2, Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre (OCTC); Oxford University, Department for Continuing Education.

This program belongs to:

Faculty of Medicine, St. George University of Beirut, Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, St. George Hospital University Medical Center (SGHUMC) and The Institute for Development, Research, Advocacy and Applied Care (IDRAAC).

COURSE  STRUCTURE

The course is divided into three terms. Each term will contain 14-16 formal teaching days, which will be held over 1-2 days per week (Thursdays and Fridays) in SGHUMC (Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, 2nd floor, room 208). Additionally, there will be 2 hours at the start of the day dedicated for clinical supervision (individual or group format). Please note that students have the option to attend courses online. Patient assignments will be based on availability of patients requesting therapy remotely.

Provisonal Term  Dates:

Term I                                                                     6 January – 2 May (16 days teaching)

Term II                                                                    12 May – 8 August (14 days teaching)

Term III                                                                   18 August – 14 November (14 days teaching)

At the end of the program, the candidates will be prepared to work as Cognitive Therapists. It is required to complete 450 hours of theoretical and skills training, including 100 hours of supervised clinical practice and other written requirements. Participants should have followed, at least, six patients before issuing certification as cognitive therapists, and have been fully supervised for at least three of them.

COURSE CONTENT

Teaching and supervision take into account students’ needs and interests, so far as they are consistent with the aims of the course.

Broadly, teaching will concentrate on:

1. Theory, Assessment and Formulation.
2. Basic therapeutic skills.

Term I: General Applications

The emphasis of this term is on Beck’s cognitive model of emotional disorder; the characteristics of cognitive therapy (session structure, establishing an active collaboration, setting homework etc.); developing a cognitive formulation; assessment issues (patient selection, measuring progress, evaluating treatment outcome, etc.); Socratic questioning; identifying and questioning negative automatic thoughts, identifying and re-evaluating dysfunctional assumptions and basic beliefs; the role of  behavioral experiments; working with imagery, role-play and other non-verbal methods; and process and termination issues in cognitive therapy.

Term II: Special Applications: Developing the Basics

Term II covers the use of cognitive therapy with common mental health problems (anxiety, depression, eating disorders). Sessions focus on consolidating and developing basic knowledge and skills and on emphasizing concepts and methods especially relevant to each problem area. Teaching practical cognitive therapy skills is linked to outcome data and other related empirical research. Workshops focus on problem areas such as panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, OCD, PTSD, depression, eating disorders, suicidality and psychosis.

Term III: Complications and Advances in Cognitive Therapy

Sessions in this term focus on pinpointing and managing difficulties arising in the practice of cognitive therapy, and on recent developments in working with difficult cases and personality disorders.

Topics include: Formulation with complex cases; cognitive therapy with personality disorders; practical difficulties in applying cognitive therapy (e.g. managing avoidance, problems in the therapeutic relationship); use of compassion in cognitive therapy; meta-cognitive approaches to cognitive therapy; recovery-based cognitive behavioral therapy; working with victims of childhood trauma; cognitive therapy and severe mental illness; cognitive therapy for low self-esteem; ethical issues in cognitive therapy.

CORE COURSES

TEACHING METHODS

1. Formal teaching (250 hours)

   The course will cover two hundred and fifty (250) hours, divided among theoretical and research issues, the essentials of the cognitive model, the cognitive conceptualization of psychological disorders, therapeutic skills and interventions used in cognitive therapy, clinical supervision and private studies (reading, videos etc..). A workshop format will be used, involving active participation, a strong element and clear relevance to clinical practice. The course aims at fostering knowledge, skills and attitude in respect to the above topics.

2. Small group supervision of clinical casework (100 hours)

The supervision part will cover 100 hours of clinical practice. It aims to encourage exposure to a variety of client groups and problem types, and to a range of CBT therapeutic methods. It also targets consolidating and refining the learning, facilitating and optimizing the clinical application and shaping it to meet the principles of the best practice. Students should have received supervision during the period of training for both assessment and therapy; they are expected to follow through cases each term and record treatment sessions to review in supervision groups. Supervisors will provide individual feedback of students’ therapy sessions. Small group supervision takes place weekly, at the start of teaching days.

Note: Supervisors and senior practitioners should normally have five (5) years of therapeutic practice after meeting the minimum training standards and have received further training to equip them as trainers/supervisors.

1. Guided readings (100 hours)

Students need to set aside time regularly for directed personal studies. Private study of 100 hours of guided reading/videos.

ASSESSMENT

Assessment is designed to determine whether the aims of the Course have successfully been met. Students are expected to take an active part in teaching and supervision sessions, and to carry out cognitive therapy with the required number of patients. Their competence and knowledge will be assessed through written assignments and direct evaluation of clinical performance, as follows:

1. Written assignments Case Reports

   Case reports are between 2000 and 4000 words. Case reports include: references to relevant literature, a description of the patient, an evidence-based assessment and a cognitive-behavioral formulation of the case, a treatment plan demonstrating knowledge of appropriate cognitive therapy interventions, an evaluation of outcome and a concluding discussion.

2. Evaluation of Clinical Performance
   1. Supervision of clinical casework

   In addition to weekly supervision, supervisors provide ratings and commentaries on two therapy recordings each term. Students audio or video record all therapy sessions, and case discussions during supervision routinely include presentation of recordings. Students are expected to show competence in general therapeutic skills (e.g. ability to structure sessions and to form an equal collaborative relationship), in formulating overall treatment strategies, and in carrying out specific cognitive therapy techniques.

   1. Audio/video-taped treatment sessions

Students must submit 2 audio or video recorded examples of mid-treatment cognitive therapy sessions, different from the write-up case to be rated by supervisors. Using these recordings, competence as a cognitive therapist is evaluated by means of the Cognitive Therapy Scale - Revised, an established measure of therapist performance. One of these recordings is formative and the second one, summative.

REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETION AND CBT CERTIFICATION

• To complete the one year part-time postgraduate diploma in CBT and become certified CBT therapists, students will need to take an active part in teaching and supervision sessions, and carry out CBT with the required number of patients
• Complete 2 cases clinical reports, one simple case, one complex case
• Complete 2 recordings with a minimum score of 22 on the CTR-S (Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale)
• Certification will be issued by the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology at SGHUMC and by IDRAAC, in conjunction with the Beck Institute; certified by the Lebanese Order of Psychologists (LOPSY).

LOCATION

Training and clinical supervision will take place at St. George Hospital University Medical Center (SGHUMC), Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology. Clinical practice may be carried out at the student’s normal place of work or at St. George Hospital (depending on availability of rooms).

Please note that students have the option to attend courses online. Patient assignments will be based on availability of patients requesting therapy remotely.

TUITION FEES

Tuition fees for 2024-2025 is 6.000 U.S Dollars. Payments will be made in three installments of

2.000 U.S Dollars, at the start of each term.

APPLICATION  PROCESS

The deadline for applications for the course is November 30, 2024. Application forms are available upon request by email to CBTDiploma@idraac.org. The application will be sent promptly upon request. There is no application fee. Each application should be accompanied by the required documents below before it can be processed:

• A complete and signed application form (document may be printed, signed and scanned or an electronic signature may be used)
• Three recent passport-size photographs, notarized )مصدقة من المختار( 
• A photocopy of the Identity Card, or Passport, or اخراج قيد
• Most recent CV
• Official transcript of records of the most advanced academic degree
• Recommendation Letters: two recommendation letters, one provided by faculty members who had academic contact with the applicant, the second provided by the previous clinical internship supervisors, both stamped and sealed, or sent directly by the

recommender to the program manager via email to CBTdiploma@idraac.org .

• A copy of the MOPH license, or a copy of a completed university MA degree in Clinical Psychology.

Interviews will be held during the month of December 2024, once applications have been processed.

Once completed and signed, application forms should be sent via email to the Program Manager at CBTdiploma@idraac.org, along with the required documents listed above. Application deadline is November 30, 2024.

For any further information, please contact: Ms. Zalpha Rizk, MA

Program Manager Tel: +961 71 621 750

Email: CBTdiploma@idraac.org