Certification Process

Option A

Stage 1:

After submitting your application form that contains certification eligibility, payment, and once your initial eligibility is confirmed, you will be asked to provide the following documentation:

• Formal training in CBT - Fifty (50) hours of formal training in CBT. This can include CBT-intensive graduate coursework, practicum placements, rotations during a residency or post-doctoral fellowship, seminars, workshops, or courses in CBT. This may include either synchronous or asynchronous virtual training or in-person training. 20 hours of this training, however, must include experiential strategies and/or the evaluation of knowledge and/or competencies (these criteria have been defined in the application).

• Supervision and/or Consultation - Applicants must have participated in a minimum of 20 hours of supervision and/or consultation in CBT. The supervision and/or consultation may have taken place before the applicant was licensed/registered, after, or a combination of the two.

• Recent CBT experience – Applicants must have recent, substantial experience in CBT following becoming licensed/registered as an independent professional. To demonstrate this, you will be required to list 12 cases you followed for therapy for a minimum of 5 sessions each.

• Two letters of support -  Letters should be from clinicians who provided direct clinical supervision or consultation regarding CBT training and practice. Letters are submitted using a standardized form: Letter of Support Template. Letters that are not submitted in this format will not be accepted.

Note that CACBT does not approve specific training workshops, programs, or courses. However, we do recommend that in choosing your trainings, you look for those that are provided by CACBT-certified members and that you review the curricula of the training you are considering for their inclusion of the core knowledge and competencies as well as the experiential strategies and evaluative components outlined in CACBT’s National Guidelines for Training in CBT

Once Stage 1 documentation has been reviewed, you will be notified of the outcome. If approved, you will be invited to proceed with Stage 2 through the Member Portal, where you will be required to pay the Stage 2 fee.

Stage 2:

You will be required to submit the following materials via the Member Portal:

1.     Recording of a CBT session (with patient consent).

• The session should be a mid-therapy session that clearly demonstrates your CBT skills and interventions.

• Before submitting, we strongly recommend that you use the Beck Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale-Revised to reflect on a few samples of your work as well as task a trusted colleague or a CACBT-Certified consultant to review your recording. This will help ensure that your work meets the required standard. Reviewers will use this scale and you must achieve a score of 22 to pass.

• Please ensure that both the client and therapist are easily heard in the recording. In addition to any consent/release forms required by your setting, please have your client sign the Consent Form for Audio Recording.

• You are responsible for ensuring that all necessary releases have been signed by the client and/or legal guardian as appropriate. Please keep the Consent Form for Audio Recording confidentially for your records; it does not need to be provided to CACBT.

2.     Case history, formulation, and treatment plan for the same client.

Option B

This option is for applicants credentialed in CBT from another credible organization. Recognized organizations allowing you to apply under Option B include the following:

• American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)

• The Beck Institute

• The Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies

• The British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies

• The Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program (Clinician Program)

After submitting your application form, CV, and payment, and once your initial eligibility is confirmed, you will be asked to provide the following documentation:

• Proof of certification from a recognized CBT organization.

Application Timelines and Re-Application

• Applicants have 3 years (in total) to complete both stages in Option A.

• Applicants who were not approved for certification will only be eligible to re-apply 2 years following their initial application.