Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Severe Mental Health Problems)

Course details

The Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Severe Mental Health Problems) is a two-year course providing comprehensive training in the core competencies required to become a competent CBT therapist and an additional year of specialist training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Severe Mental Health Problems.*

Oxford is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy research, practice and training. This programme has evolved from a course established over 30 years ago and draws on an impressive body of local specialist knowledge and skills.

*The course is designed to enable students to meet the minimum training standards for British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP) accreditation as a CBT psychotherapist. It is currently BABCP-accredited at Level 1 and is seeking Level 2 accreditation.

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Course aims

On successful completion of the course, graduates can expect to have achieved:

1. A sound knowledge of cognitive behavioural models, concepts and methods

2. An understanding of issues of importance relating to the theory and practice of CBT, including:

  • The relationship between CBT theory and therapy
  • The use of CBT with a variety of client groups and disorders
  • Related research on outcome and process.

3. Competence to establish and maintain warm, respectful, collaborative therapeutic relationships, including:

  • Having a conceptual framework for understanding and managing difficulties in the alliance
  • Using clinical supervision to identify and resolve difficulties in practice

4. Competence in assessing and treating patients using CBT:

  • Assessing patient suitability for CBT
  • Developing CBT case-formulations
  • Devising and implementing individualised treatment programmes
  • Evaluating their effects

5. The ability to convey clearly to clients and others the central concepts of CBT and how CBT interventions work.

Please note: the course does not aim to prepare students to teach and supervise CBT. The emphasis is on acquiring, practising and communicating specialised clinical skills, within an explicit theoretical framework in relation to associated empirical research.

Programme details

Course structure

Year One:

Students will first learn the core skills of CBT relevant to working with clients presenting with single and more common mental health problems. As the course progresses, they will build on these foundations and develop skills for working with presentations which are characterised by issues associated with greater complexity, such as comorbidity, chronicity, or where systematic factors play a role in maintaining current problems.

The structure and expectations for the first year of study are outlined below. 

  • The course begins with five days of teaching over the first two weeks and one day per week (Fridays) thereafter.
  • The majority of the teaching takes place online. There will be a three-day in-person teaching block in Week One and approximately two further in-person teaching days per term. These will take place in Oxford and attendance is compulsory. Overseas applicants should check their eligibility for visas to travel to the UK to attend these teaching days.
  • Students receive two hours of small group supervision weekly with a course supervisor, focusing on CBT skills development. In teaching sessions, emphasis is placed on observation of CBT in action and on experiential learning with participation in role-play and other practical exercises.
  • Some of the teaching days on this course may be made available to a wider audience as publicly bookable workshops via the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre. All participants will be expected to have an appropriate level of competence to participate fully.

In the first term, it is essential that students have access to adult treatment settings where they can access training cases suitable for novice CBT therapists (ie mild-moderate presentations of common mental health problems, such as those likely to present within primary care mental health settings) and where cognitive behavioural therapy skills can be practised and refined on a regular basis. This may require liaison with a service other than that where the student routinely works.

From the second term, students will need to continue to access training cases suitable for CBT interventions, but these can be more complex (e.g. with co-morbidity, longer duration or involving systemic issues, such as those likely to present in secondary care mental health settings).

Year Two:

The course structure will vary according to the specialist pathway chosen. Reading, completion of written assignments and presentations will be undertaken in addition to the teaching days. Many students find it effective to set aside at least six to seven hours a week for private study.

In Year Two, students undertake one of the specialisms below:

  • Psychological Trauma and Personality Development

This innovative programme offers comprehensive, specialist training in CBT with a strong grounding in current psychological and CBT theories and research. It is designed to offer an in-depth understanding of the range of difficulties experienced by those who have suffered adversity and psychological trauma, alongside an in-depth understanding of the development of personality traits. The course highlights the CBT principles, theory and research that can guide optimal treatment delivery to people struggling with the legacy of trauma and/or with personality issues.

21 days of training and supervision are spread over an academic year, between November and July. Five days of teaching in November (a combination of taught material and self-directed study) are followed by four intensive four-day teaching blocks in January, March, May and July. At least one of these teaching blocks will be held in Oxford, and in-person attendance is compulsory. There are four summative assignments spread out over the period of training. Over the duration of the course, students are normally expected to complete a course of therapy (under supervision) with at least three patients, where at least one patient has a trauma history and at least one patient has personality issues. We encourage students to engage in CBT with more than three patients before the end of this training.

Therapy must demonstrate the specialist CBT skills and knowledge relevant to working with patients who have experienced psychological trauma and/or struggle with personality issues. Small group supervision from specialists is offered within each block and between training blocks (12 supervision sessions in total), and students are required to secure additional field supervision.

One training day in each block is open to a wider clinical audience. This enables course participants to interact and share with a broader group of specialist practitioners.

  • Psychosis and Bipolar

This specialism seeks to enable students to develop a sound understanding of cognitive behavioural models of psychosis and bipolar and the related evidence base. This includes competence in engaging, assessing and developing collaborative formulations with individuals with psychotic and bipolar presentations and competence to deliver high quality, individualised, evidence-based interventions in accordance with NICE guidance, the competence framework for work with people with psychosis and bipolar disorder (Roth & Pilling 2013), and the National Health Service England national curriculum for CBT for severe mental health presentations. Students will benefit from teaching from renowned experts and will benefit from close supervision, enabling them to develop their new skills.

The course comprises teaching over three terms: running from October 2025 to the end of June 2026. Teaching and supervision typically take place on Thursdays, and students should keep all Thursdays during term time free for course-related teaching, supervision, and study. There will also be some Fridays required for teaching and supervision (a total of seven Fridays across term one and the start of term two). The majority of teaching will be delivered online, but students are required to attend a total of seven days in person in Oxford (two days in term one, three days in term two, and two days in term three). This is in line with BABCP requirements for face-to-face teaching.

Over the duration of the course, students are normally expected to complete a course of therapy (under supervision) with at least four patients, where at least one patient has a bipolar presentation and at least two patients are experiencing active symptoms of psychosis. It is recommended to work with more clients than this to ensure that you have suitable cases to write up and provide recordings for assessment. There are five summative assessments over the year: two recordings, one case presentation, one case report, and a training portfolio. You will have a course supervisor and a course tutor to support you in making the best of this learning opportunity. Small group supervision fortnightly in term time focuses on the development of specific cognitive and behavioural skills for working with clients with psychosis and bipolar presentations.

  • Clinical practice

Students are responsible for sourcing suitable adult training cases to enable them to complete the clinical practice elements and assessments for the course.

Students are also responsible for arranging regular CBT supervision for their training cases from a qualified CBT practitioner, as not all supervision needs can be met within the small group skills supervision provided by the course. Supervisors should hold Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist accreditation with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy.

Reading and completion of written assignments will be undertaken in addition to the teaching days outlined above. Students should expect to require around 7 hours per week for private study.

Applicants’ capacity to meet these requirements will be assessed at interview.

In Year Two, students often are able to work with patients in their own secondary or tertiary service. However, if they are unable to identify suitable clients as per the specialism requirement within their own service, they will be required to seek patients outside of their usual workplace. The patients’ presentations must be in keeping with the content of the course specialism.

Assessment

Summative assessment requirements vary according to the specialism chosen.

Year One Assessments:

  • One Case Presentation of up to 20 minutes duration
  • Two Clinical Recordings
  • One Case Report of not more than 4000 words

Year 2 Assessments:

1. Psychological Trauma and Personality Development

  •  One Clinical Recording
  • One Case Presentation of up to 20 minutes duration
  • One Clinical Assessment of not more than 2000 words
  • One Case Report of not more than 4000 words
  • One Training Portfolio

2. Psychosis and Bipolar

  • Two Clinical Recordings
  • One Case Presentation of up to 20 minutes duration
  • One Case Report of not more than 6000 words
  • One Training Portfolio

Fees

Please visit the Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy page on the University of Oxford Graduate Admissions website for details of course fees and costs for this programme.

How to apply

Applications for this course should be made via the University of Oxford Graduate Admissions website. This website includes further information about this course and a guide to applying. 

All applications must have been fully completed before the application deadline in order to be considered. 

Visa information

For part-time courses longer than six months with a weekly or monthly attendance requirement, you will not be eligible for a Tier 4 visa or the Short Term Student route based on the structure of the course.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support