CBT for Psychotic Disorders
An Overview of CBT for Psychotic Disorders, Including Schizophrenia
Virtual via Zoom
Fee: $10 full members; $25 partial members and nonmembers
Continuing Education Hours: 2.0
Course Description
People experiencing psychosis are often feeling stuck in bewildering mental states, and it’s easy for professionals to get lost when they attempt to help. This may explain why for many decades, the consensus among professionals was that therapy could not be effective for those with psychosis! Fortunately, research has emerged showing that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) work reasonably well for people with various kinds of psychotic disorder, including schizophrenia, to reduce distress and to help people acquire skills that can support long term recovery. CBT for psychosis emphasizes the formation of a collaborative relationship, and then taking a fresh look at the evidence together. The CBT practitioner does not impose a point of view, but rather joins with the person in a process of shared discovery of possible ways of making sense, and experimentation with new behaviors that create opportunities for outcomes more aligned with the person’s values.
At the heart of this process is the creation of dialogue, or bringing different points of view into relationship. This is important because dialogue, both internally and interpersonally, is something that breaks down in psychosis. This breakdown leaves the person either stuck in a fixed point of view or monologue, or overwhelmed by the chaos of competing views that seem beyond relationship. But when we find a way to talk with people in an open-minded way about their most confusing experiences, dialogue can reemerge, and people can regain control over their lives.
Learning Objectives:
- Compare the importance given to having a positive relationship versus that given to having a structure agenda within CBT for psychosis.
- Identify the creation of dialogue as a “minimal agenda” within CBT for psychosis that can organize sessions even when barriers exist to more organized approaches.
- Describe basic CBT for psychosis methods, including normalizing, developing a formulation, changing relationships with voices, taking flexible approaches to inflexible beliefs, and overcoming negative symptoms by focusing on meaning and connection.
About the Trainer
