Has anyone done CBT for psychosis training?

[Unsureaboutcbttraining]

Hi I have been offered a new role in work, and the opportunity to do 2 years training to be a therapist in CBT for psychosis

Has anyone done this training? I’m talking myself out of it as it involves a lot of group work and being filmed In practice and sounds really scary 😬

But it’s also an amazing opportunity and something I’m really interested in!

I can’t find any accounts of personal experiences via google so hoping there may be some on here 🤞

Not done that specific training but am a CBT therapist and have done a lot of training. There's a lot of recording of sessions and group work, to be honest it's awful to start with but then just becomes very routine, so you get used to it.. and hopefully you have a supportive supervisor who can give constructive but fair feedback. It's a great way to learn, I learn so much from watching/listening to the people I supervise recordings even though I still hate having to submit them myself (you have to have an amount 'marked' each year to keep babcp accreditation) I'd love to do the CBT-P training, it's a great opportunity for you.

I've done some counselling courses it's really OK you get used to the observations and the recorded assessments it's worth recording yourself and hearing yourself back before the assessment

Thank you both that’s really helpful! Would you say that even fairly shy people can succeed in this kind of role, or do you have to be quite extrovert? I’m fairly confident but get anxious in certain circumstances (I could probably do with some CBT) 😝

Im very well thought of in my current role, but this is quite different and I’m having a serious imposter syndrome moment!!

I've got a lot of social anxiety and am definitely not a confident person, but I have got through all the training, that doesn't mean it was easy, but the other people on my course we're all very supportive of each other and we all had our own issues to work through whilst doing the course so it was fine. There were a lot of tears!..any therapy training can bring up stuff for you but that's ok and very normal.

I have GAD and imposter syndrome in my very professional job, so no I don't think you need to be confident but you do need to be prepared for it to get a bit heavy some times. The fact that everyone is in the same boat really carries everyone along, everyone is nervous but together. Its useful and you'll pick up some techniques but be prepared to face your own issues and really truly be honest with yourself in your reflective work so you know where your own triggers lie sometimes they're not where you think they'll be.

Oh and most importantly good luck and enjoy it. It really is the most interesting topic I have ever studied - I did it for 3 years for no other reason than it interested me and it kept interesting me the more I learnt.

May not be of any help but I'm receiving CBT for psychosis.

Psychosis was diagnosed just over 12 months ago, I'm 51 with a history of mental health problems, have had CBT countless times over the years but this is the first time I'm feeling confident of a positive way forward in life thanks to my psychologist. She's literally changing my life every week.

I imagine it must be a stressful but very rewarding job.

Oh wow @OldTinHat thats amazing! Good luck to you, I’m glad you are finding it to be so positive!

I think that shy people can be very good at listening. Great skill for a counsellor.

I’ve also done the CBT course but not for psychosis. I found it very exposing initially, particularly playing bits of tape in group supervision where I felt I hadn’t handled something well or felt stuck but in the long run doing that is so beneficial. We also had to do fishbowl exercises (you sit in the middle and role play etc. whilst everyone’s sat in a circle around then get group feedback), initially I was so nervous and would go first to get it out the way but it was good for development, if you can do it in that anxiety provoking setting then you can definitely do it in a clinical setting, and also really nice to get positive feedback from peers (remember it won’t all be things you need to improve, it’ll also be what you did well).

The course and in service supervisor you have also makes a big difference, I had one who initially I found intimidating as he wasn’t naturally soft and warm but actually I learnt the most from him, particularly about therapeutic processes you don’t find in a book. Don’t go into it expecting to not make any mistakes or to get everything right, also be ready to receive constructive criticism (it should never be destructive).

Like most new challenges, scary at first but you quickly settle and I made great friends doing it. Good luck, it’s worth it!

I did a PSI degree about twenty years ago, it incorporates family interventions, psycho education and CBT for psychosis. It was brilliant. The recorded sessions were really helpful and I still use the skills now. I’m not a CB therapist though

Thank you everyone it’s so helpful to hear from others!

I'm a psychologist so although i haven't trained in CBTp I have been observed loads, had interactions recorded and done a lot of group work with other psychologists and therapists. I don't think anyone really enjoys it as such, even after years of being a practitioner, but what I remind myself is that they do these things to help you be the best therapist for your patient. I'd rather have someone observe me and give helpful corrective feedback than keep doing something that isn't right for the person/people I'm trying to help. Insights from outside observers are invaluable in therapy even after training to help you keep your skills up.

I have an interview for this coming up soon! Any advice or experience welcome!