The Masters of Science in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) for Practice programme is an 18 month programme that arises from a requirement for health and social care professionals to provide effective evidenced based interventions for a range of health and social problems.
The programme is of particular interest to those working in health related fields including mental health nursing, social care, addiction services and voluntary organisations.
CBT is widely utilised for a range of psychological problems. Cognitive and behavioural treatments are among the most extensively evaluated of psychosocial interventions for problem alcohol and drug use. They have an impressive evidence base with many studies placing them at the very pinnacle of efficacious interventions.
Motivational interviewing (MI) grew out of the substance abuse and addiction treatment fields in the 1980s and continues to be widely used approach in this area. In the past 25 years, Motivational Interviewing has been adapted to the medical and social service fields and has now proven to be a significant tool for facilitating positive behaviour change in people with a range of addictions and others seeking to make positive changes in their lives.
Year 1
Semester 1
Semester 2
Developing CBT Skills
Advancing CBT skills for Practice
Personal Development for Health and Wellbeing
Advancing Motivational Interviewing Skills
Developing Motivational Interviewing Skills
Quantitative Research for Practice
Undertaking Advanced Assessment in Practice
Qualitative Research for Practice
Year 2
Semester 3
Semester 4
Dissertation
Consolidating CBT and MI Skills
Applicants require a full Level 8 Award, or equivalent, and must meet the university’s English Language Requirements, where necessary.
The following minimum entry criteria apply:
Registered nurse/midwife or professional qualification & experience in health or social care field (including psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, medical practitioners, addiction counsellors, drug and alcohol workers and other relevant professionals);
The student should have prior education on basic knowledge of psychological processes and dynamics, basic psychosocial intervention skills; This evidence should be provided when applying in the form of a transcript of prior learning;
there must be a work environment that is conducive to achievement of programme learning outcomes (the student must be working a minimum of 12 hours per week in practice). There should be both an identified student learning need and an identified service need within area of practice.
A completed application form must be signed by the learner and endorsed by line manager.
The student should also be assigned a mentor support person from within their multi-disciplinary team and confirmation of this provided by the line manager
All applications for entry are made through PAC online.
The central aim of the programme is to foster and develop both the conceptual and practical skills needed to contribute, succeed and lead in the area of therapeutic practice. Many of the candidates for this programme will be already working in a variety of settings in which people problems are a key issue.
This course will afford participants to develop personally and professionally in the specific area of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Motivational Interviewing, and provide a springboard for career advancement.
The central aim of the programme is to foster and develop both the conceptual and practical skills needed to contribute, succeed and lead in the area of therapeutic practice. Many of the candidates for this programme will be already working in a variety of settings in which people problems are a key issue.
This course will afford participants to develop personally and professionally in the specific area of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Motivational Interviewing, and provide a springboard for career advancement.
This course offers students increased flexibility in that it blends traditional face to face teaching with the benefits of learning online. The course is designed so that students can have greater personal interaction with their lecturers and fellow students when they attend the campus for some elements of the course. The course designers identified specific elements of the course suited to learning online allowing students to access learning materials online (including lecture notes, case studies, mini assessments and additional reading) and interact online with their lectures via online lectures, discussion forums and chat rooms. Students just need internet access on their phone, tablet or computer to access their learning content online and complete their learning activities like posting to forums or engaging in their online lectures.
As part of the induction for the course, students are given over an overview of how the course will be delivered. They are are encouraged to access the online learning resources and activities to ensure that they are familiar with how the course will operate so they can get started with planning their study time and engaging with the course content.
To support the student in learning online, the student will have access to the module lecturing team who can be easily contacted either in person following an on campus class, or through a planned meeting or via email or live chat in the online learning platform. Each student is also assigned a named study advisor if additional support is required, or the student can avail of additional study support initiatives provided by the SETU Waterford Centre for Student Life and Learning, or the SETU Waterford Library support team. SETU Waterford is one of the only third level higher education institutes that has a dedicated Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning who collaborate with lecturers in using technology in their teaching and support students in using technology in their learning.
