COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY FOR HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of methods, theory and practice of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) used in Health Psychology. This module has been designed in accordance with requirements (stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas for a British Psychological Society accredited Health Psychology Masters degree: health-related behavior and cognitions, interventions, healthcare and professional settings and professional issues.

Module provider

Psychology

Module Leader

CROPLEY Mark (Psychology)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

• Mindfulness


• Beck’s Theory of CBT


• CBT Style of Communication


• The role of assessment and formulation in CBT


• Deconstructing a stress assessment


• Automatic Negative Thoughts


• Active Listening


• Interview methods and the goal setting approach


• CBT for Health Psychologists

 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate a critical understanding of the theory and application of cognitive behavioural therapy.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of: Either

Essay (3,000 words) Choose one of the following titles. 

1. Describe and critically evaluate one component of the ‘B-SMART programme, a stress management intervention for women with breast cancer’.

(Antoni, M.H and Smith, R.G. (2003). Stress management intervention for women with breast cancer [electronic resource]. APA (see folders on surreylearn).

2. Design a CBT intervention programme for people living with a chronic condition.

Coursework: The Project Report or intervention (3,000 Words) addresses the learning outcomes.

Formative assessment

Students will receive formative assessments based on group exercises and case studies completed in class.

Feedback

Written feedback is provided by the course convenor.

Module aims

• To provide students with: a theoretical understanding of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy practical skills used in CBT and a critical awareness of the importance of the issues of practising CBT
• Introduce students to the theory of Mindfulness
• Provide students with an awareness of Mindfulness-based approaches to health and illness
• Introduce and help students become familiar with Beck¿s Theory of CBT
• Understand the role of assessment and formulation in CBT
• Have an awareness of CBT for chronic health conditions
• Provide students with opportunities to be critical and effective communicators, through interactive sessions and group-based activities.
• Have an awareness of interview methods and the goal setting approach
• Understand the role of assessment and formulation in CBT

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Provide students with a foundational knowledge of Mindfulness


• Provide students with a foundational knowledge of CBT


• Enable students to think critically about Mindfulness and CBT


• Enable students to think about CBT from a range of backgrounds and cultures


• Provide students with the resourcefulness to critically discuss the application/use of CBT within health psychology


• Enable students to develop the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking required to evaluate CBT research in health psychology

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Class exercises

Students are invited to contribute to discussions from their own background and experiences and are encouraged to be shared, and students are actively involved in problem-solving; thus developing their own judgement and opinions. Students are further encouraged to engage with this through group work.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: PSYM060

Other information

In line with Surrey’s Curriculum Framework, we are committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module contributes to the five pillars in the following ways:

Resourcefulness and resilience:

Students are required to reflect on the material covered within the model and on the feedback provided by the teaching staff. Students will need to be resourceful as they will be asked to research, critically evaluate and/or design an intervention programme that utilises CBT techniques and principles. 

Digital capabilities (D)

Students will need to engage with several elements of digital skill during the course; they will utilize the university of Surrey Virtual Learning Environment (SurreyLearn) to access the course materials and key content. Students will also need to use on-line search engines to research academic journal articles for their assignments. The coursework also provides further digital learning opportunities using Microsoft word.

Global and Cultural Capabilities:

Students are encouraged to consider CBT perspectives in the wider cultural context. And students are encouraged to consider how differing cultures experience CBT.  This means that the students are covering many global challenges. Students will have the opportunity to learn from a range of diverse topics all invested in strategies to improve the ‘global partnership’, committed to improving mental wellbing via CBT principles and practices. 

Sustainability (S)¿ 

In this module, students will cover a wide range of principles, exercises and techniques underlying CBT that they can draw upon throughout their professional life to support good mental health.

Employability:

Although this module is situated within a theoretical programme, the learning aims, and assessments are designed to develop students’ professional and employability skills. The assignments require effective literacy, critical thinking, presentation and time management skills. These are important skills for trainee Health Psychologists and for working outside psychology (i.e., industry).

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.