Training to be a Cognitive Remediation therapist: Hearing from our online trainees

Our online Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) training course is a popular route for clinicians worldwide wanting to learn how to deliver CRT and to become proficient using our digital therapy programme, CIRCuiTS.

The course features 11 remotely accessed modules which cover topics such as cognitive difficulties in psychosis, metacognition, goal setting, formulation, and therapist skills. The modules are full of interactive exercises, case studies, multimedia materials (e.g. videos of expert therapists delivering CRT), as well as guided practice using CIRCuiTS. To find out more, visit our Training page.

As part of a recent national trial called ECLIPSE (Enhancing Cognition and quality of LIfe in the early PSychosEs), we asked clinicians who completed our training course to tell us what they thought of it.

The course brings CRT to life

Our trainees really valued the way the course allows them to apply their learning to real-life scenarios and to gain a deeper empathic understanding of living with cognitive difficulties from a service user’s perspective. Trainees got a feel for delivering CIRCuiTS as a therapist in practice, through video demonstrations of sessions, practical exercises, and frequent opportunities to use CIRCuiTS.

“It was helpful following the three case studies throughout the course and seeing videos of therapy sessions - this brought CRT to life.”

“Having the opportunity to complete tasks in CIRCuiTS was also really useful to have an understanding of what to expect when doing these with a client and seeing it from their perspective.”

“It was good that it... gave views from both the client and the therapist. I think at times we can make assumptions and at times become complacent.”

The course is well-designed

Trainees felt that the modules were easy to follow thanks to their bite-sized structure, logical flow, and clear focus. They praised the course for being interactive, accessible, and easy to navigate, and described its visual design as aesthetically pleasing.

“Interactive, split into discrete modules, learning clarified at the beginning of each module.”

“Colourful, large text, engaging – I found it easy to concentrate on and navigate around.”

The course content is varied

Trainees loved the diverse and multi-disciplinary exercises and the multimedia presentation of information. The videos were described as well-produced and helpful, and trainees highlighted the usefulness of the downloadable resources provided.

“The information was presented in lots of different ways (e.g., video, comic strips, diagrams) and so were the exercises, which kept me engaged.”

“The packs to download at the end will be useful to refer back to.”

The course offers the freedom of online learning

The independence, flexible pace, and ability to choose when and how long to study for is all highly valued by trainees, particularly those fitting studying around variable work schedules. People appreciated the autonomy of being able to monitor their progress and clarify knowledge gaps, facilitated by re-cap quizzes, knowledge checks, and being able to return to previous sections.

“I liked that I could do the training at my own pace and fit it around my busy clinical practice. I like the test at the beginning of each new module. It helped me to recognise… what needed to be brushed up on.”

“Flexibility – you could do it in your own time – at home. Able to revisit modules.”

“I liked… frequent opportunities to check the knowledge… I liked that I was able to come back to training sessions in my own time and learn at my own pace.”

The course is highly appreciated

Trainees expressed gratitude for the course and described it as enjoyable, fun, beneficial, and impressive. Many expressed thanks for being given the chance to do it. The CIRCuiTS programme itself received high praise.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to complete this training… this was a great alternative under the circumstances – COVID-19, cost and practical difficulties of travelling away from home… I think CIRCuiTS is an amazing tool!”

“I’m definitely a fan of this CIRCuiTS programme, and I feel that it has been very cleverly and carefully designed in an evidence-based manner.”

Thanks to further feedback from this study we have also improved the design and user experience of our online course for the benefit of future trainees. This includes the addition of downloadable manuals after each module, advice about how to get the most out of the training, and a new online forum for trainees to connect with and support each other.

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If you or your team are interested in joining the growing global community of CRT therapists and completing our online course, visit our Training page to find out more or Get in touch to book your place today.