Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma

Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma Course Content

Themes and perspectives in Cognitive Therapy

Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma 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.

Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma 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.

Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma 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.

Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma 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.

Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma 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.

Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma 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.

Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma 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.

Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma 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.

Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma 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.

Level 3 Cognitive Therapy Diploma 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.