National Training Awards for Trauma & Transformation Centre

At a National Training Awards ceremony in Belfast in October 2009 the NICTT was awarded a N. Ireland Regional Award and a UK Finalist Award for its Certificate in Cognitive Therapy Methods.

In the citation, tribute was paid to the Centre's work in developing the training programme and how it had made a significant impact on health and social care practitioners and their patients and clients. Two hundred practitioners working in the statutory and voluntary sectors have been trained in the Course to date. The award recognised NICTT's training in cognitive therapy and the approach used to provide therapy for people who have suffered as a result of traumatic experiences. 

The Centre’s work abroad was also noted, and in particular how the Course was transferable to other settings. In 2007 a social worker from Nepal spent four months in Omagh studying with the Centre during which time she completed the Certificate in Cognitive Therapy Methods Course.  On returning to Nepal the social worker then developed a psycho education programme and support service for people affected by the civil conflict in Nepal.

Certificate in Cognitive Therapy Methods

This Professional Award Level 4 in Cognitive Therapy Methods course is accredited by Edexcel and equates to level 4 of the Qualification Credit Framework [QCF]. The course is aimed at enhancing the practice of professionals currently working in mental health and related services, and in assisting them in effectively identifying and referring onwards people with mental health problems, including trauma related disorders.  Those who complete the training will be able to integrate and apply a range of cognitive therapy methods within their existing practice.

The course is suitable for a broad range of mental health and social care professionals from the statutory and voluntary sectors such as psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health nurses, counsellors, social workers and occupational therapists.

The certificate is delivered over 18 days and is a 120 hour qualification composed of five core units of 20-30 hours each.  To complete the certification the learner must successfully complete all five units. The units are:

• Cognitive therapy principles and basic formulation
• Structure and homework in cognitive therapy
• The therapeutic relationship in cognitive therapy
• Key cognitive therapy methods
• Cognitive therapy methods for depression and anxiety

This course has been externally evaluated and the report is available here

Photographs of students who graduated in September 08  here

Photographs of students from the Omagh Funded course who graduated in June 09 here

 For further details or to register your interest in future certificate courses please contact the centre on 02882251500 or email to info@nictt.org

PGDip/MSc in Cognitive therapy

This course is no longer available.

New Course Developments

The accredited level 4 Certificate in Cognitive Therapy Methods [CCTM] will be posted on to the Qualifications Credit Framework [QCF] in September 2010. We are delighted that the course will now be made available to other oganisations across the UK and beyond who wish to avail of it should they have the qualified staff to teach it. This course maps directly on to National Occupational Standards [NOS] in cognitive therapy developed by Skills for Health and meets with its Sector Skills Agreement requirements for training in supporting the delivery of psychological therapies. The course will be of interest to practitioners in the voluntary and statutory sectors and to Health and Social Care managers as the NOS link directly to competences and job roles within Agenda for Change. The QCF process was facilitated by the Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment [CCEA] who will now be the awarding body. We will be running a further CCTM course in 2010/11. For further information please contact the Centre.

NICTT is developing new courses in line with the strategic requirements of Skills for Health Sector Skills Agreement and the new Victims and Survivors service currently being developed by the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister [OFMDFM]. Since March 2010 we piloted our new two day level three PTSD course with funding from the OFMDFM. Three courses were held and over ninety people attended. Discussions are underway to have this course accreditied in 2011.For testimonials on this course and the Certificate in Cognitive Therapy Methods click here.

Staff are currently working on a level 5 course in Treating PTSD which we hope to have accredited and available for teaching in 2011. Again this course will use NOS [where they exist, or gold standard competences where they do not] to enable skills to be mapped to new roles being created in support of new services. Our Level 7 Advanced Cognitive Therapy Supervision course has been successfully piloted and is still undergoing accreditation. This six day course is aimed at practitioners and managers in the voluntary and statutory sectors to support the delivery of psychological therapies.

We intend eventually to work with the relevant sector skills councils[s] and awarding body to post all of our accreditied courses on to the Qualification Credit Framework  to create units of combination to develop a range of  qualifications which will give students and employers the qualifications best suited to their professional and service needs. Courses and qualifications can be tailored also to the emerging clinical requirements and service delivery needs linked to both students CPD and the commissioning requirements of the psychological therapy service and the Victims and Survivors services. 

Other non accredited courses

NICTT also offers other courses including non accredited short cognitive therapy and specialist workshops in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Our training team will be happy to discuss your bespoke training needs and can design courses and workshops to your requirements. Other short courses are also available for management committees, Trustees and service  commissioners which provide an overview of trauma related disorders and examines the service and governance implications of providing therapuetic services. Likewise courses for service coordinators, managers and supervisors can also be develeoped upon request. .  Please contact the centre for further details or down load our training brochure here

NICTT Training Staff

NICTT therapists have a core professional qualification in medicine, social work, nursing or psychology and have an accredited qualification in Cognitive Therapy or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and are members of the British Association of Behavioural Cognitive Psychotherapists.

Brendan Armstrong
Brendan Armstrong is a Cognitive Therapy Training & Development Specialist with NICTT and is an accredited Cognitive Therapist (BABCP).  He was formerly the Team Manager for five years of the City side Community Mental Health Team in Derry/Londonderry.  He has several years experience teaching at certificate and university diploma levels in Cognitive Therapy.  He specialises in anxiety and depression.

Dr Maria Kee
Dr Kee is a Cognitive Therapy Training & Development Specialist with NICTT. She is a former Consultant Psychiatrist and independent trainer specialising in personal and organisational development using cognitive therapy methods.  She studied Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at Oxford and on return to Northern Ireland was involved in the development, and was then Medical Director, of the first University training programme for nurses in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at Coleraine University.

Dr Kate Gillespie
Dr Kate Gillespie is a Consultant Psychiatrist, Cognitive Therapist and trainer with over twenty years experience.  She led the cognitive therapy response to the Omagh bomb and treated many of those traumatised by the tragedy.  Dr Gillespie is founding member of the Beck Academy of Cognitive Therapy and is respected internationally as a trainer and clinician.  Her special interest areas are in complex PTSD and depression.

The Centre's clinical advisor is Prof. David Clark from the Institute of Psychiatry at the Maudsley and Kings College, London, and the training advisor is Dr. Christine Padesky from the Centre for Cognitive Therapy in Palm Beach, California.