Equipping cognitive behavioural therapists for a complex professional world: in search of a framework for training and supervision

The theme of my Doctorate in Psychotherapy by Public Works is training and supervision in the field of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – an exciting, diverse and rapidly expanding therapeutic modality that is being delivered in an increasingly complex professional climate. In this Context Statement I shall demonstrate how I have contributed to the ongoing development of training and supervision in CBT at both national and international levels and how the foundations of my contribution are anchored within my first, early career in the performing arts.

My Context Statement is organised around four core themes (1) a fascination with how people learn and the profoundly different outcomes that can occur as a result of how learning is conceptualised and delivered; (2) the complexities inherent in trying to investigate our work as CBT therapists and how we use the results of those investigations to proclaim the effectiveness of what we do; (3) the power of storytelling as a fundamental human activity, and how to devise stories that have empowering implications for people’s lives and (4) the need to equip practitioners for the realities of the world of work and the challenges to which being a CBT therapist can give rise. An additional output of my academic journey on this Programme, and arising from the themes described above, has been the development of a model of CBT training and supervision – the Pyramid of Practice – whose potential contribution to the field is also examined.

The submission comprises two volumes. Volume 1 consists of a description and reflexive analysis of my Public Works, a timeline of key personal and professional events in my life, and the Pyramid of Practice Model of Training and Supervision developed during my studies on this Programme. Volume 2 comprises each of the Public Works along with evidence of impact. By presenting this body of work, I will demonstrate how I have helped develop the field of CBT training and supervision through an advanced theoretical and technical understanding of context, knowledge and innovative practice.