Cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis

Tania Lincoln, Marburg, Germany

Over the course of the last 15 years there has been a shift in our understanding of psychosis. In particular, psychotic symptoms, such as delusions and hallucinations are increasingly being seen to lie on a continuum with normal experiences and to be explicable by normal psychological processes. This view of symptoms has provided a basis for adapting cognitive interventions for other psychological disorders to the treatment of psychosis. To date, the principal usefulness of cognitive interventions for psychosis has been demonstrated in numerous clinical trials.
This workshop presents an individually based psychological intervention targeting psychotic symptoms based on the concepts of leading researchers in the field. The workshop will begin by covering some of the problems that are often encountered in establishing a trustful therapeutic relationship. Techniques of how to develop and work with a shared case formulation and how to enhance patients’ use of coping strategies for disabling symptoms will be provided. An emphasis will lie on therapeutic strategies for working with delusions and hallucinations as well as uncovering and restructuring distressing and dysfunctional beliefs about the self and others. Finally, techniques developed to prevent relapse will be introduced. Case examples and worksheets for the interventions will be provided and workshop participants will be supervised in practicing intervention techniques in brief role-plays.