The National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) recently hosted amaster class on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy(CBT) for Psychosis as part of its efforts to build national clinical skills capacity and improve patient care in the UAE. The workshop was held in partnership with the Maudsley InternationalHospital, and The Institute of Psychiatry - the UK’s largest mental health training institution which is part of King’s College London.

H.E. Dr. Hamad Bin Abdallah Al Ghaferi, Director General of NRC said: “The application of CBT in this area is a relatively new method in the treatment of alcohol and drug addiction, and there are very few individuals who have been trained or have the skills necessary to treat patients using this method. At NRC, we are committed to building national capacities in this area through our work with world-class partners – such as King’s College London - to offer our staff, as well as other professionals in the UAE, the chance to learn how to best tackle challenging problems using science or evidence-based approaches.”

This master class falls under the Psychological Skills and Competencies Programme for Mental Health professionals and workers – an education and training initiative of the NRC which isrun in association with King’s College London. This programme, now in its third year, has helped bring together a number ofhealth professionals and staff from the NRC and other institutions both inside and outside of the UAE.

The class, led by Professor Elizabeth Kuipers, Head of Department of Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, presented participants with the problems of psychosis, and challenged them to carry out individualized formulations and intervention plans. CBT is an evidence-based intervention forpsychosis, and is increasingly being recognised internationally as a field that has helped revolutionize treatment as well as attitudes to treating schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses.

Professor Elizabeth Kuipers. who was recently awarded the Monti Shapiro award for eminence in the profession of clinical psychology by the British Psychological Society, was one of the first researchers and practitioners in this area. Dr Suzanne Jolley who co-facilitated the workshop is one of UK’s leading trainers and researchers in CBT.