Postgraduate Certificate in Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

The Postgraduate Certificate in Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is part of a comprehensive CBT training programme, which has been renowned for its consistent record of excellence in CBT practice, training and supervision over the past 25 years. Oxford is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in CBT and the course draws on an impressive body of local specialist skill and knowledge.

After successful completion students are awarded a Postgraduate Certificate from the University of Oxford. This award can contribute towards a Postgraduate Diploma in CBT, accredited by The British Association of Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies at Level 1.

The Postgraduate Certificate provides qualified healthcare professionals with high-quality training and supervision in CBT theory and practice, enhancing knowledge and skill in what is now recognised by the National Health Service as a major psychological treatment modality, with a substantial and growing evidence base.

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Programme details

Students on the PG Cert in Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy will study one of the following specialisms:

Children and Adolescents

Course lead: Dr Joanna Adams

Designed to equip clinicians for work with children, adolescents and their families, this pathway offers specialist supervision and teaching that covers general principles of adapting CBT for children, young people and families, including developmental, systemic and ethical/professional issues. The course will take a transdiagnostic focus, with some teaching on relevant topics shared with students on the Complex Presentations pathway,

Students are expected to carry out CBT with at least three suitable patients during the course and receive two hours of small group supervision on a bi-weekly basis.

The course begins with a two-day induction block and then attendance is required for two days bi-weekly, for training workshops.

Psychological Trauma and Personality Development

Course lead: Dr Helen Kennerley

This innovative programme offers comprehensive, specialist training in Enhanced 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 experienced developmental trauma and adversity, alongside an in-depth understanding of the personality development issues that can have a significant impact on functioning. The course highlights the CBT principles, theory and research that can guide optimal treatment delivery to people living with the legacy of trauma and/or with personality development issues. 

Twenty days of training and supervision are spread over an academic year, between September and July. These can be accessed online or face to face, although face to face attendance is encouraged. Four days of teaching across September and October (a combination of workshops and self-directed learning), are followed by four intensive four-day teaching blocks in January, March, May and July. 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. 

There are ten, expert-led, small group clinical supervision sessions between November and May. Over the duration of the course, students are normally expected to engage in CBT with at least four patients with a significant trauma history, which has impacted on their current mental health presentation, and/or who have personality development issues that impair functioning. We expect patients to demonstrate complex, co-morbid and/or interpersonal difficulties. Therapy must demonstrate the Enhanced CBT skills and knowledge relevant to working with this population. Students are expected to complete therapy with at least one patient over the duration of the course, although we encourage students to arrange their caseloads so that more than one patient completes therapy before the end of this training. 

Coursework is spread over the period of training; four assignments are summative. 

Psychosis and Bipolar

Course lead: Dr Louise Isham

This specialism seeks to enable students to develop a sound understanding of cognitive behavioural models of psychosis and bipolar and the related evidence base; 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 Health Education England national curriculum for CBT for severe mental health presentations. 

The course comprises teaching over three terms: running from September 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 five Fridays across terms one and two). 

Supervision and Training 

Course lead: Dr Helen Kennerley

This specialism aims to prepare students to teach and to supervise CBT. The emphasis is on acquiring, practising and communicating specialised dissemination skills, within an explicit theoretical framework. The course also prepares students for dissemination in a range of settings (eg individual and group supervision, small and large group training). 

The course is informed by established and contemporary theory and research concerning learning principles and the practice of high-quality CBT. The content of the course is highly experiential, with opportunities to engage in supervision and training practice during training sessions and to obtain live feedback on practice and performance. 

Students are normally expected to carry out CBT supervision in at least three supervision settings or formats over the course and to present at least one training event in that time. There are three summative assessments over the period of training. 

The course comprises 18 days, presented in five teaching blocks. It begins with a four-day induction, followed by further three-day or four-day blocks. Formal teaching comprises full or half- day workshops and a half-day Practice of Supervision (PoS) session is integrated into the course. Six of the training days are open to a wider professional audience. This enables course participants to interact and share with a broader group of specialist practitioners. 

Course aims

The course seeks to enable students to:

• Appreciate how theory, research and clinical practice inform each other in cognitive behavioural therapy, contributing to its continued development.
• Establish and practise a repertoire of enhanced cognitive behavioural skills.
• Develop the ability to apply these skills with specialist patient groups and problem areas encountered in their own places of work.
• Establish and maintain warm, respectful, collaborative relationships, and develop the ability to understand and manage difficulties in the alliance (including the student’s contribution) using a cognitive conceptual framework.
• Through consultation, identify and resolve difficulties in practice, whether arising from theoretical, practical, interpersonal, personal or ethical problems.