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Course Overview
Embark on a transformative learning journey with the UK’s most innovative home study provider, offering courses designed to unlock your true potential and facilitate the career change you desire. Access our distance learning courses directly from anywhere, anytime, and acquire industry-recognised Professional Qualifications essential for advancing in your career.
Specifically, explore the flexible and convenient Cognitive Therapy (Level 3) course, an ideal way to gain a diploma qualification. Whether you aim for further education, improved job prospects, or expanded knowledge, this comprehensive course allows you to prepare thoroughly for exams or careers through home study. Plus, it’s structured to be accessible and beneficial even if you have no prior knowledge in Cognitive Therapy.
The field of therapy has undergone significant evolution, with a shift towards a more holistic approach that acknowledges the interconnectedness of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours within individuals. Recognising that addressing issues solely from an individualistic perspective may not always yield optimal results, there has been a growing emphasis on exploring how negative thoughts, behaviours, and emotions become internalised and perpetuated.
Pioneered by American psychologist Aaron Beck in the 1960s, cognitive therapy (CT) emerged as a groundbreaking approach rooted in the cognitive model. This model posits that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are intricately linked, influencing one another in a complex interplay. Beck’s seminal work laid the foundation for understanding how individuals can overcome challenges and work towards achieving their goals by identifying and modifying unhelpful or inaccurate negative thought patterns, maladaptive behaviors, and distressing emotional responses.
In this course, participants delve into the historical antecedents that paved the way for the development and widespread adoption of cognitive therapy. They gain insights into Beck’s original motivations for pioneering CT, particularly in addressing conditions such as depression and later expanding its scope to encompass anxiety-related disorders. Through a comprehensive examination of the evolution of CT, participants understand its enduring relevance and applicability in contemporary therapeutic practice.
Furthermore, the course explores the practical application of cognitive therapy techniques in clinical settings. Participants learn how therapists collaborate with individuals to identify and challenge negative and distorted thoughts, facilitating transformative shifts in internal thought processes, emotional experiences, and behavioral patterns. By delving into real-world case studies and interactive exercises, participants gain firsthand experience in implementing cognitive interventions effectively to support clients in overcoming psychological distress and achieving sustainable positive outcomes.
Course Key Topics
the Cognitive Therapy (Level 3) course is divided into 10 modules.
Module 1: Carl Gustav Jung – Analytic Psychological: Part 1
A Swiss born in 1875, he began questioning religion, was highly academic and knew he was destined for great things! He developed tests based on analysis which he used on his patients, which are now precursors to the lie detector tests used today. Jung believed that problems in adults were often related to an ‘old wound’ in the psyche, and by addressing this a person could be healed, but also that some things could never be totally cured. He has influenced a range of issues contributing to psychoanalysis treatment today from using analysis, e.g. of personality and dreams, to understanding the problems due to chemical imbalance in the brain. He also worked with Freud. He was the first therapist to use Art in his work.
Module 2: Carl Gustav Jung – Analytic Psychological: Part 2
Here we expand on the theories of Jung on the psyche. He talked about the ego, the conscience mind and also about the archetypal unconscious to things like buried or suppressed memories. He wrote about effects of past influences, what a person is born with to present influences of e.g. the mother, gender differences, and sexual inference. He believed that the most important archetype was ‘the self’. He discusses people lying, white lies and how it is almost impossible not to lie. His work has been useful in modern tests (e.g. the Myers-Briggs Indicator test) that categorise people using characteristic traits. Today, Jung’s theories are as widely acclaimed as they are criticised.
Module 3: Sigmund Freud – Psychoanalytical Psychology: Part 1
Born almost 20 years before Jung in Czechoslovakia (but raised in Vienna), and the favourite son of his father. He accounted this to his confidence. He gained notoriety by his controversial views about the theory of sexuality during the repressive Victorian era. Freud believed that childhood was the foundation stone of development that laid down patterns for the rest of your life. Jung and Freud worked together for years, but then fell out badly due to professional differences.
Module 4: Sigmund Freud – Psychoanalytical Psychology: Part 2
Freud’s theories were based on there being a conscious or what one is aware of at the present, preconscious (available memories) and unconscious mind. Freud believed that the unconscious is what drives and motivates, and often contains traumas and emotions. He felt that behaviour was shaped by forces over which we have no control. Freud was a medic and he developed many of his theories through his work with patients. Freud often saw his patients sitting on a couch behind them so that his presence did not distract from his analysis of them. Thus Freud started the beginning of cognitive psychotherapy as practised today.
Module 5: Behaviourism
John B. Watson is the founder of this field of study, and he believed that behaviourism is shaped by environment. He became disillusioned by science being unable to measure the inner mind states, and so developed his own theory asking what conditions in the environment shape our behaviour. Burrhus Skinner developed theories on how subjects responded to or operated in their environment, his famous experiment involved rats pressing a lever when they wanted to be fed (conditional association). Pavlov also did similar research. Further research continued to look at how behaviour is changed and shaped.
Module 6: Humanistic Psychology
The 1960s saw the freedom of the individual, and rejected that a person was the product of their circumstance and psyche. This type of counselling involves the individual and their experience. Maslow was tired of focus being on the negative aspect of humanity and was more interested in learning from high achievers. He built a model (Hierarchy of Needs) of what it is we all need, and what deficits in this cause, and how to rectify problems associated with such lack or at least raise self-actualisation. Maslow believed it was better to live a modest life-style with little, than one of achievement and plenty but which was unhappy. He also believed that instead of simply trying to correct deficiencies, personal growth should be encouraged. Carl Rogers believed that much of our self-worth came from our childhood: parental and societal requirements. We all want a path in life, and when we cannot achieve this we develop issues and problems. Rogers counselled by not finding excuses, but making sure the client was aware of what it was they needed to address, change or adapt as they are the best to judge themself. Discussion also involves theories on the influence of life development by Erik Erikson and Levinson.
Module 7: The Cognitive Approach
Initially Albert Ellis believed in the psychoanalysis model, but he later changed and started to address irrational beliefs in patients and started to help them adopt rational beliefs. Ellis defined cognition based on perception, awareness and judgment, and thus the way we think determines how we behave, and this is turn affects our health by leading to anxiety, stress and illness. It teaches ways of coping through activities and often prevents relapse. A catalogue of the most common ailments (from panic attacks to eating and personality disorders) are listed, and how the cognitive approach in all its guise can help combat them is discussed.
Module 8: Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky
Piaget, born in Switzerland, was a structuralist philosopher and a Systems Theorist who started work with his wife by observing his own children. He was the first to talk about schema, how information is filed in our brain. As children develop so these schemas expand, assimilate, accommodate and reach equilibrium. He believed that we know what is right and wrong from early on. Vygotsky, a Belorussian, believed that culture was the most important part in development, but overlapped much with Piaget though neither knew of each other’s work because of the conflicts between Russia and the West.
Module 9: Cognition and Therapy
Cognitive psychology is one of the most dominant forms of therapy used in the UK today. It focuses on the mind and how we think. Thoughts can be positive or maladaptive and so it is important that in order to develop a healthy self concept about ourselves, we think positive thoughts. However when we are low and depressed, maladaptive thoughts come to our forethought, and it is this that needs to be tackled, and this is done by using brief therapy. The blame is put not on the individual but on the negative and maladaptive thoughts.
Module 10: Social Constructionism
Social reality arises from the world in which we live. Here we understand and measure the self, to get an idea of how they are functioning in the world. This is turn is linked to self-esteem. Psychometrics is introduced as a valid tool of measurement and analysis. As with all the fields within psychology, great controversy exists such as are the tests and analysis fair for all, for different ages, gender and cultures. So other approaches, such as using case study, or integrating methods and techniques is often the best solution.
(Please click on the curriculum tab above to see a detailed view of each module)
Course Content
Cognitive Therapy (Level 3) – FREE Starter Pack
How to…. (a series of explainer videos)
Module 1 – Carl Gustav Jung – Analytic Psychological: Part 1
Module 2 – Carl Gustav Jung – Analytic Psychological: Part 2
Module 3 – Sigmund Freud – Psychoanalytical Psychology: Part 1
Module 4 – Sigmund Freud – Psychoanalytical Psychology: Part 2
Module 5 – Behaviourism
Module 6 – Humanistic Psychology
Module 7 – The Cognitive Approach
Module 8 – Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky
Module 9 – Cognition and Therapy
Module 10 – Social Constructionism
Course Resources
Final Exam
College Announcements
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The Cognitive Therapy (Level 3) Course, curated by experts in the field, provides a comprehensive exploration of cognitive therapy techniques, principles, and applications. Delve into a diverse range of topics, including cognitive models, therapeutic interventions, and case studies, empowering you to understand and address complex psychological issues with confidence.
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Flexibility: Tailor your learning experience to fit your schedule, with convenient 24/7 access to course materials and resources.
Expert Guidance: Benefit from the support and mentorship of experienced tutors who will guide you through your cognitive therapy journey, offering invaluable insights and feedback along the way.
Practical Application: Gain hands-on experience and real-world insights through interactive exercises, case studies, and role-plays, equipping you with practical skills essential for effective therapeutic practice.
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Emma Thompson.