CBT for FEP Training

Online material goes live on January 13 th, 2025 Live Zoom webinar February 10 th , 24th & March 3rd, 2025, 1pm-4:30 pm EST Registration closes January 27 th, 2025

This 15 hour training which includes online, on-demand and live webinar material is designed for clinicians working in Early Intervention or First Episode Psychosis Services. CBT for psychosis (CBTp) is an evidence-based treatment, commonly available in Europe, and recommended by best practice guidelines in both the US and the UK in the early intervention for psychosis.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

1. Describe what is psychosis, listing typical symptoms and possible diagnoses that include these

2. Summarize the evidence base for CBT for psychosis, including key critiques

3. Summarize the ABC model of CBT

4. Explain the concepts of delusions and voice hearing as part of the spectrum of normal human experience

5. Demonstrate increased empathy for psychosis by applying at least one empathy generating exercises

6. Describe the concept of “working within a delusional belief system” and be able to recite both one reason why we do it and one technique how we do it

7. Demonstrate the concept of normalizing

8. Set operationalized, patient-centered goals to track progress over time and utilize empirically supported measures to track change

9. List at least five examples of ‘curious questions’

10. Demonstrate how to pull relevant information together into a CBT formulation

11. Summarize the concept of coping skills enhancement

12. Demonstrate interventions for beliefs about voices

13. Differentiate between the three different types of delusions

14. List three ways of generating alternative explanations for delusions

15. Describe the role of homework or action plans in cognitive behavioral skills building

Successful completion to be awarded CE credits

In order to successfully complete this online training and be eligible for CE credits participants must:

  • Review the material from all 14 modules

  • Watch every slide and video to the end

  • Complete all quizzes and evaluations

  • Post comments to discussion where requested

  • Score 75% or higher for evaluation quizzes (maximum 3 attempts)

  • Complete and submit the Continuing Education evaluation and feedback form at the end of the workshop

Course curriculum

  1. 1
  2. 2
    • Module 1: what is psychosis?

    • What is psychosis? Discussion

    • What is psychosis?

    • Which DSM diagnoses include psychosis?

    • Which DSM diagnoses include psychosis?

    • Evidence base

    • The CBT model

    • ABCs

    • The CBT triangle

    • Is it a thought or a feeling? learning quiz

    • Is it a thought or a feeling?

    • Follow along case example

  3. 3
    • Strongly held beliefs exist on a continuum

    • Plausibility of Beliefs Exercise instructions

    • Plausibility of Beliefs Exercise

    • Plausibility of Beliefs Discussion

    • How common are so called unusual beliefs? Gallup & Newport (1991) Exercise instructions

    • How common are so called unusual beliefs? Gallup & Newport (1991)

    • What did you use to determine your answers for the last quiz?

    • Strongly held beliefs on a continuum

    • Follow along case example

  4. 4
    • Hallucinations are also part of normal human experience

    • Voices simulation

    • Trail running for beginners

    • Feedback voice simulation

    • Prevalence of voice hearing

    • Pre-quiz Survey

    • Follow along case example

  5. 5
    • Empathy enhancement

    • Key points on empathy

    • How to express empathy practice quiz

    • Follow along case example

  6. 6
    • Working within the belief system

    • Working within the clients belief system

    • Clip 1

    • Lessons from clip 1

    • Clip 2

    • Lessons from clip 2

    • Clip 3

    • Lessons from clip 3

    • Video feedback

    • Why do we work within the belief system?

    • Thoughts about the concept of Working within the belief system

    • How do we work within the belief system?

    • Don’t assume symptom is part of “illness”

    • Suspend disbelief quiz

    • Answering the question "do you believe me?"

    • More on the how

    • Is this colluding, challenging or working within the belief system? Quiz

    • Update to answering the question "do you believe me?"

    • Follow along case example

  7. 7
    • Normalizing

    • How do we normalize

    • Normalizing video

    • Normalizing video quiz

    • Normalizing video discussion

    • Normalizing individual exercise

    • Pre-quiz Survey

    • Follow along case example

  8. 8
    • Goal setting

    • Goal setting

    • Goal setting video

    • Goal setting video quiz

    • Goal setting video discussion

    • Follow along case example

    • Goals List

    • SMART goals

  9. 9
    • Assessment - being curious with our questions

    • How to ask curious questions

    • Cognitive assessment of voices

    • Chadwick's Cognitive Assessment of Voices

    • Curious questions voices assessment video

    • Curious questions voices assessment video quiz

    • Curious questions voices assessment discussion

    • BAVQ-R measure

    • BAVQ-R paper

    • Follow along case example

  10. 10
    • Guided Discovery & Socratic Questioning

    • Guided discovery & socratic questioning

    • Guided discovery sketch

    • Guided discovery sketch quiz

    • Guided discovery approach discussion

    • Guided discovery quiz instructions

    • Guided discovery quiz

    • Columbo technique

    • Columbo Tries To Trick A Surgeon _ Columbo

    • Pre-quiz Survey

    • Follow along case example

  11. 11
    • How to access the live Webinar

    • Live Webinar 1

  12. 12
    • Formulation

    • What is formulation?

    • ABCs mini formulation

  13. 13
    • Intervention for Voices Part I: coping strategy enhancement

    • Interventions for voices

    • Coping strategies for voices

    • Look-point-name demonstration

    • Coping-skills-flyer

    • Coping_Voices Poster

    • Look Point Name

  14. 14
    • How to access the live Webinar

    • Live Webinar 2

  15. 15
    • Interventions for Voices part II: Beleifs about Voices

    • Interventions for voices

    • Why beliefs about voices are so crucial

    • How to work with beliefs about voices

    • Beliefs about voices video

    • Beliefs about voices video quiz

    • Beliefs about voices video discussion

    • Voices measures

    • Voice Diary

    • Voices profile

    • Pre-quiz Survey

    • Follow along case example

  16. 16
    • Interventions for delusions

    • Which type of delusion?

    • How to tell if the client has wiggle room

    • Follow along case example

    • No wiggle room

    • Passengers On A Bus an Acceptance Commitment Therapy ACT Metaphor

    • Discussion Passengers on the Bus video

    • No wiggle room cont

    • Wiggle room

    • 3Cs

    • Examining the evidence video

    • Examining the evidence video quiz

    • Examining the evidence video discussion

    • Working with "amorphous" belief systems

    • What do we mean by "amorphous" belief system

    • Working with "amorphous" belief systems

    • Follow along case example

  17. 17
    • Homework

    • Homework slides

    • Follow along case example

    • A note on session structure

    • Session structure

    • Follow along case example

    • Pre-quiz Survey

  18. 18
    • How to access the live Webinar

    • Live Webinar 3

  19. 19
    • Fair Use Disclaimer

    • Financial disclosure

    • Attestation of completion by self

    • Feedback evaluation instructions

    • Feedback evaluation

    • Congrats! Here's what's next...

    • Ongoing coaching in using this CBT for FEP material

    • More resources for you

    • References

Testimonials

  • "Wonderful! So well done. Thanks so much for a great experience."

  • "I am impressed with the dashboard, clear instructions, and responsiveness from the trainers and Dr. Gonzales. The small group in live webinars helped my learning. Role plays were helpful."

  • "The simulations that were utilized to help us understand the client experience is a game-changer and something I plan to utilize with my families and staff that work within my program. I did not really see anything that needed improvement, as all the material and the way it was taught not only kept my interest, but immediately began changing the way I worked with clients and families. It taught me what areas I was not exploring that were vital to the therapeutic process and how to find those out."

  • "Really one of the best trainings I've attended. Information is useful and well presented."

  • "Great learning environment combining different learning styles so everyone can benefit from the class."

  • "Exceptional training workshop! It's amazing how much you can learn about CBTp in only a few days when you are encouraged to apply and practice the training materials within the workshop. I enjoyed the practice activities that helped to round out the skills described in each section. I think that this type of engagement with the material helps to facilitate deeper learning."

  • "This training was useful because it gave lots of concrete examples and reminded me of some important principles (curious questions; avoiding adversarial challenges; examining beliefs) that I can use with my current patients."

  • "Really appreciated the interventions - feel like I have some that I could start using right away. This changes my practice in terms of how I do formulations and having more tools in my toolbox."

  • "Lauren was amazing. She was approachable, and helpful. I really appreciated that she didn't validate unhelpful discussions, and she was gentle in her course correction to ensure that we were learning things properly. 10/10. Would take another training from her in a heartbeat."

  • "I thought it was amazing. It was structured well and had a lot of useful information."

Instructor

Expert CBTp trainer

Sally E. Riggs

Dr. Sally E. Riggs, DClinPsy, A-CBT, is a licensed psychologist and expert in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis with 20 years of experience working in this field in both London, UK and the US. She earned her Doctorate in clinical psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK in 2005, during which time she was trained in CBTp. She completed her Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Aaron T. Beck Psychopathology Research Unit, University of Pennsylvania, working on a pilot study for CBT for negative symptoms, and pioneering training in CBTp in community mental health agencies.

She moved to NYC in 2011 and has been working in public and private healthcare settings, practicing and teaching and training mental health professionals in CBTp since this time. She has been an invited member of the Annual International CBT for Psychosis Research Meeting since 2009, and is a Founding Member and first President of the North American CBT for psychosis Network. She founded NYC CBTp in 2016, the first ever private practice dedicated to providing evidence based cognitive behavioral therapy for people with psychosis.

Financial & commercial disclosure:

Dr. Riggs and Riggs Psychology PLLC and sallyriggs.com receive no financial or commercial support for this online training, the content of this training, and gain no commercial support or benefit from endorsement of products. They also report that in the past 12 months they have had no other financial relationship with a commercial organization that produces healthcare goods or services that could be considered a conflict of interest.