Description
Course Content
Motivational Interviewing
- Historical and philosophical foundations of Motivational Interviewing
- The spirit of MI: partnership, acceptance, compassion and evocation
- The four core processes: engaging, focusing, evoking and planning
- Recognising and eliciting change talk
- Working collaboratively with ambivalence and sustain talk
- Developing reflective listening and purposeful questioning skills
- Supporting client autonomy while helping conversations move towards change
- Integrating MI into brief and longer-term therapeutic work
- Using MI to prepare clients for more structured therapeutic interventions, including CBT
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
- The foundations of CBT, including the cognitive model, behavioural learning principles and collaborative empiricism
- Developing individualised CBT formulations and models for client work
- Assessment and goal setting in CBT
- Introducing the CBT model to clients in an accessible and collaborative way
- Structuring CBT sessions, including agenda setting, between-session work and review
- Developing and maintaining the therapeutic alliance
- Responding to disengagement, ambivalence and difficulties within therapy
- Guided discovery and Socratic questioning
- Identifying and evaluating unhelpful thinking patterns
- Cognitive restructuring and developing more balanced perspectives
- Behavioural activation
- Understanding avoidance, safety behaviours and the ways they can maintain anxiety
- The principles of exposure therapy and how exposure supports new learning
- Graded exposure for anxiety-related difficulties
- Exposure and response prevention for obsessive-compulsive difficulties
- Identifying and reducing safety behaviours during exposure
- Using behavioural experiments alongside exposure
- Helping clients approach feared situations without making anxiety reduction the only measure of success
- Relapse prevention and maintaining progress
- Applying CBT to a range of common mental health difficulties
- Evaluating outcomes and supporting evidence-informed practice
- Integrating CBT within your existing theoretical framework
Mindfulness
- Understanding mindfulness and its relevance to CBT-informed practice
- Distinguishing mindfulness from relaxation, distraction and thought suppression
- Helping clients notice thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and urges without immediately reacting to them
- Exploring the difference between changing the content of a thought and changing the relationship to the thought
- Using mindfulness to identify automatic patterns and create space for more considered responses
- Supporting clients to remain present with difficult emotions and physical sensations
- Integrating brief mindfulness practices into CBT sessions and between-session work
- Using mindfulness alongside cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation, exposure therapy and relapse prevention
- Using mindful awareness during exposure to help clients notice anxiety, thoughts, urges and physical sensations without automatically escaping, avoiding or seeking reassurance
- Ensuring mindfulness is not used during exposure as a way of suppressing anxiety or making discomfort disappear
- Reflecting on when mindfulness may be useful and when another approach may be more appropriate
Bringing the Approaches Together
Throughout the course, participants will explore how MI, CBT, exposure therapy and mindfulness can be used together, while retaining the distinct contribution of each approach.
MI can help the therapist understand what matters to the client and explore any uncertainty about approaching difficult change. This can be particularly helpful when a client recognises that avoidance is limiting their life but feels understandably reluctant to face situations, sensations or thoughts that they fear.
CBT provides a shared formulation of the client’s difficulties and helps the therapist and client identify the thoughts, behaviours, avoidance patterns and safety strategies that may be maintaining them. Where appropriate, exposure therapy can then help the client gradually approach what they fear and develop new learning through direct experience.
Mindfulness can support this process by helping clients notice anxiety, thoughts, physical sensations and urges without immediately responding through avoidance, reassurance seeking or escape. It is not used to control anxiety during exposure, but to help the client remain present and respond more intentionally.
The emphasis is not on combining approaches simply for the sake of using more techniques. It is on developing a thoughtful, formulation-led way of working in which interventions are selected collaboratively, based on the client’s needs, preferences, goals and readiness for change.
Dates & Fee
- Dates: 16 Oct, 23 Oct, 6 Nov, 13 Nov, 20 Nov 2026
- Price: €750
- Payment plan: 3 instalments
- Deposit: €150 (due at booking)
- 2 further payments of €300 each
Cancellation & Transfer Policy
I understand that circumstances can change, and I aim to be as fair and transparent as possible.
- Up to 14 days before the course start date: Paid fees will be refunded in full, less a €50 administration fee. Alternatively, if the course is running again, you may transfer your booking to a later date at no extra cost.
- Less than 14 days before the course start date: A cancellation fee of 50% of the course fee will apply. Alternatively, if the course is running again, you may transfer your booking to a later date, subject to availability.
- Less than 48 hours before the course start date / non-attendance: Unfortunately, no refund can be issued. Alternatively, if the course is running again, you may transfer your booking to a later date, subject to availability.
All cancellations or transfer requests must be made in writing by email.
If a course is cancelled by the organiser, participants will receive a full refund of fees paid or may choose to transfer to another date where available.
Trainer
Susi Lodola is an experienced psychotherapist and clinical supervisor, known for her engaging and practical approach to training and development. In her private practice, she helps clients build emotional resilience and navigate mental health challenges through evidence-based therapeutic approaches. As a clinical supervisor, Susi supports fellow therapists in deepening their skills and confidence, fostering professional growth and enhancing therapeutic outcomes.
Alongside her clinical work, Susi is an experienced third level lecturer, and her teaching blends academic theory with real-world insights, ensuring students gain not just knowledge but the confidence to apply it effectively in practice.
Susi’s ability to simplify complex concepts and create a supportive learning environment consistently receives positive feedback from students, many of whom credit her for advancing their professional development.
Beyond academia, Susi delivers corporate workshops on mental health and wellbeing, equipping organisations with tools to foster healthier, more resilient workplaces. She has also provided specialist training for mental health practitioners, including those working within NEPS (National Educational Psychological Service).
A strong advocate for continuous learning, Susi deepened her expertise by attending a specialised CBT workshop at the Beck Institute in Philadelphia, focusing on CBT.
Qualifications:
- MSc CBT & Motivational Interviewing
- BA (hons) Psychology
- BA (hons) Linguistics
- BA Psychotherapy
- Prof. Cert. Child & Adolescent Therapy
- Prof. Cert. Mindfulness
- Suicide Intervention Training
- Diploma in Clinical Supervision
FAQ
How is the course delivered?
The training is delivered live online via Zoom, with interactive presentations, discussions, role-plays, case work, and practical exercises.
Are the sessions recorded?
No, the course will not be recorded. The sessions are highly interactive and often involve participants sharing experiences from their own work or from their private lives. To maintain confidentiality and create a safe and open space for discussion, we keep the training live only.
Can I record the sessions for my own use?
No, participants are not permitted to record the sessions. This is to respect the confidentiality of all participants and to encourage everyone to contribute freely.
What happens if I miss a session?
Detailed lecture notes , readings and other materials are provided. If anything feels unclear, you are welcome to check in with me directly.
Do I need to prepare anything before the course starts?
No preparation is required. Some participants find it helpful to reflect on examples from their own work with adolescents, but this is optional.
What is the time commitment?
The course runs over four full training days, with additional time between sessions to review materials and practise skills.
What materials are provided?
You will receive comprehensive lecture notes, handouts, worksheets, and tools that you can use straight away in practice.
Will I receive CPD hours and a certificate?
Yes. Successful completion awards the Professional Certificate Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, approved for 35 CPD hours.
Is there an assessment?
There is no formal written assessment. Certification is based on full participation in the live training.
What if I have questions during the course?
You’re encouraged to ask questions at any point during the live sessions, and you can also follow up with Susi afterwards if you need clarification on anything.
