Certificate in CBT for Clinical Practitioners
Format: Asynchronous (online, self-directed)
Cost: $895 + HST + the cost of the textbook (if applicable) per course
Highlights of this Program:
- This course contains two levels that build for competence with the student: Level 1 introduces the
student to the basics of cognitive behaviour therapy. Level 2 introduces three streams of more
advanced practice, depending on the student’s learning needs - Each course will require approximately 40 hours of work, completed over 12 weeks; students may
begin anytime, and can proceed as quicky or slowly as they wish, but must finish within 12 weeks
of their enrolment email (see below) - Individualized attention and instructor feedback is given through feedback on the professional
and reflective practice exercises with each module - Students will require practice with clients (either live or mock)
- All work can be done from home; you will need a reliable internet connection to do so
Program Overview and Outline
The online CBT program is a platform for learning the skills of cognitive behavioural therapy. Approved by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and taught by Beck-trained clinicians, this program is comprehensive in nature. It is designed with a broad audience of students and practice types in mind. Please note that oral and written fluency in English is required. During their course of studies, students proceed through written lectures, talks, case studies, video demonstrations and professional practice exercises. Students will submit work for each of the 12 modules and will receive personalized, attentive feedback all throughout the course. Course content is varied and made up of lectures, viewings, demonstrations, supplemental readings, and professional/reflective exercises. There are no tests or exams, however, there are assignments for each module, which must be submitted online. Upon completion and submission of all assignments, and following their review by the teaching team, students will receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of each course.
The program is divided into two levels. In Level 1, CBT - Foundations, students learn the fundamentals of the CBT modality. In Level 2, CBT - Advanced Practice, students learn how to apply these interventions by choosing one of three streams (students can take more than one stream if they wish). Students will leave the course with a broad base of understanding in this important modality and can go on to apply their training across a wide variety of contexts.
All courses within the program require 40 hours of study. Students may choose to end their training after Level 1, or progress onward to one of three streams in Level 2. Upon completion of each course, students will have obtained strong academic foundations and skills-based knowledge, as well as a toolkit of worksheets available for duplication to use in their practice. Please note that to be eligible for Level 2, students must have completed Level 1 (or an approved equivalent, see below). The cost for each course is $895 + HST and these must be completed within a maximum of 12 weeks.
Courses:
LEVEL 1: The Fundamentals of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
LEVEL 2: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – Advanced Practice
- Level 2, Stream A: CBT with Mental Health & Addiction (Prerequisite: Level 1)
- Required Textbook: Josefowitz, Nina and Myran, David (2021). CBT Made Simple: A Clinician’s Guide to Practicing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (2 nd Edition). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications
- Level 2, Stream B: CBT with Complex Mental Health (Prerequisite: Level 1)
- No textbook required
- Level 2, Stream C: CBT with Families, Children & Youth (Prerequisite: Level 1)
- Required Textbook: Datillio, Frank M (2010). Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy with Couples and Families. New York, New York: The Guilford Press.
Eligibility and Certification
To first enter or subsequently maintain a competent practice in mental health or human services, practitioners require ongoing professional education, as well as opportunities for supervised practice. The Faculty of Continuing Education at ADLER provides both.
ADLER’s Faculty of Continuing Education offers certificate programs that incorporate a case-based learning approach, encompassing theoretical discussion supported by real-life cases, scenarios, and role-playing. This approach affords participants the opportunity to experience the actual, day-to-day challenges encountered by most practitioners. Many of ADLER Continuing Education courses qualify for programs like the continuing education credit hours for the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. Contact your organization to determine the eligibility of a particular course.
Note that this program's courses are only suitable for students with clinical backgrounds, who are trained and capable of managing clients who are, or can be, in crisis. This includes Registered Psychotherapists, Social Workers, Allied Health Professionals / Mental Health Professionals. If you have questions about your eligibility for this program, please contact us. You should have an undergraduate degree as a minimum. Written and oral fluency in English is required.
Disclaimer: Please note that completing any of the courses within this program does not qualify you to register with any regulatory body in Ontario, including neither the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW), nor the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). There is no formal accreditation process for CBT in Canada; however, the CACBT is currently developing accreditation processes which, once completed, we aim to comply with. Please be advised that the Academy of Cognitive Therapy (USA) approves these courses of Cognitive Therapy, and completion of these courses will satisfy most continuing education requirements. You are advised to select learning that leads to the regulations/qualifications you hope to achieve in your career.
Getting Started
Once payment is received, you will receive an enrolment email, with a UserID and a temporary password, which will allow you to enter the course software and begin. This enrolment email will take approximately seven business days to be processed. PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER DURING THIS TIME. If you do not see this email within seven business days, please contact us.
Note that all online of ADLER’s online continuing education program have stipulated an allotted amount of time in which to complete your course of study (such as “12 weeks”). Your allotted amount of time begins on the date of your in the enrollment email. Once enrolled, you will not receive additional emails about when you have started or when you are done, so manage your time effectively. Please note: we uphold a strict policy that we do not extend or re-open the software to you once your allotted amount of time is complete. Plan accordingly: if you will be away, you must catch up on your work.
Please note that cancellations up to 2 weeks prior to the start date of the course are subject to a $200 administration fee, and that cancellations after 2 weeks are not considered.
The Fundamentals of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - (Level 1)
40 hours of study — maximum of 12 weeks
$895 + HST + the cost of the textbook
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was first used during the 1950’s and 1960’s, pioneered by American Psychiatrist Dr. Aaron Beck. Its’ first application was with hospital in-patients experiencing clinical depression. But, as the decades passed, the interventions Dr. Beck had used began to undergo the structuring it required to be used with more people in many other situations. Eventually, CBT made its way out of in-patient units and into the global population at large. This course is a thorough introduction to the foundations of practice in cognitive behavioural therapy across the lifespan, including with adults, children and youth. Designed with the cultural and contextual implications of a wide variety of students in mind, students will begin practice right away, putting to use a course-pack of 20 worksheets (the CBT “interventions”) that can be duplicated for practice.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: Josefowitz, Nina and Myran, David (2021). CBT Made Simple: A Clinician’s Guide to Practicing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (2nd ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - Advanced Practice (Level 2)
Stream A: CBT With Mental Health and Addiction
40 hours of study — maximum of 12 weeks
$895 + HST
For reasons that are many, and particularly after the pandemic of 2020-2021, the incidence of almost every mental health disorder is rising quickly. The World Health Organization has predicted that clinical depression alone will be the leading cause of workplace disability worldwide by 2020, second only to ischemic heart disease. Suited for those in clinical practice with adult mental health disorders, this level will apply the interventions of CBT to the most commonly seen DSM-5 disorders in everyday practice, including depression, anxiety, and substance use. This course will also assist practitioners in learning to think critically about the nature of the mental health “epidemic” and how to be a change agent within it. Students will leave with a course-pack of convenient treatment protocols for each disorder, that they can refer to in session and apply to practice right away.
Stream B: CBT With Complex Mental Health
40 hours of study — maximum of 12 weeks
$895 + HST
While many practitioners will work with CBT at the community level, others will be required to practice with cases that are more complicated in nature. These challenges may arise because the list of symptoms is more complex, reflecting multiple possible diagnoses, or because the presenting issue(s) is/are complicated. Topics covered in this course include personality disorder, OCD, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. Special attention is paid in this module to the CT-R (“Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy”), an emerging application focused on empowerment, resiliency and a meaningful life. Students will leave with a course-pack of convenient treatment protocols for each disorder, that they can refer to in session and apply to practice right away.
Stream C: CBT with Families, Children and Youth
40 hours of study — maximum of 12 weeks
$895 + HST + the cost of the textbook
As one part of a family system undergoes change, the whole unit must adjust. This course looks at how to apply the cognitive-behavioural model to work with couples, children, and adolescents (4-18 years). Looking closely at common, everyday issues such as couple and family conflict, application with children, and the meaning-making process with adolescents, students of this stream will leave with an understanding of how to apply the skills learned in Level 1 in creative and concrete ways to work with these populations. Participants who successfully complete this course will leave with an 80-page workbook of tools that includes CBT worksheets formatted for use with these populations that can be downloaded and duplicated for practice. Please note that you will require your textbook as soon as you begin your studies.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK (Level 2C): Datillio, Frank M (2010). Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy with Couples and Families. New York, New York: The Guilford Press
Contact Us
Students that have questions about this program should contact the Dean, Ms. Beatrice Traub-Werner at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..