Therapies and protocols

Therapies you can practise

Every simulated client follows a published treatment model for their presentation, the best-evidenced one where guidelines name it, and your feedback follows the same model. Below is every therapy and protocol, with the published model behind each.

CBT

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Also written Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Disorder-specific CBT protocols, from a first formulation to multi-session treatment.

Foundations: The five-part model (Padesky & Mooney, 1990; Greenberger & Padesky, 1995), within Beck’s cognitive model
Depression: Behavioural Activation (Martell, Addis & Jacobson, 2001) with Beck’s cognitive therapy
Generalised anxiety (GAD): Intolerance-of-uncertainty model (Dugas et al., 1998)
Panic disorder: Clark’s cognitive model of panic (1986)
Social anxiety: Clark & Wells cognitive model (1995)
Health anxiety: Salkovskis & Warwick cognitive model (1986)
OCD: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP; Meyer, 1966; Foa & Kozak, 1986) with Salkovskis’ cognitive model of responsibility appraisals (1985)
PTSD: Cognitive Therapy for PTSD (Ehlers & Clark, 2000)
Insomnia: CBT-I: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (stimulus control, sleep restriction and cognitive therapy), informed by Spielman’s 3P model (1987)
Adolescent depression: Individual CBT for 12–18-year-olds, in line with NICE guideline NG134 (2019)
Child anxiety: Developmentally adapted CBT (Kendall’s Coping Cat, 1990) with parent involvement
Gaming disorder: CBT for gaming disorder: CBT-IA (Young, 2011) and the STICA programme (Wölfling et al., 2019)
Risk and safety planning: Safety Planning Intervention (Stanley & Brown, 2012)
Mild to moderate depression and anxiety: Low-intensity CBT and guided self-help, as in NHS Talking Therapies stepped care
PTSD: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT; Resick & Schnicke, 1992; Resick, Monson & Chard, 2017)
PTSD: Prolonged Exposure (PE; Foa, Hembree & Rothbaum, 2007)
Child and adolescent trauma: Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT; Cohen, Mannarino & Deblinger, 2006), as recommended for children and young people in NICE NG116 (2018)
Trauma after multiple events: Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET; Schauer, Neuner & Elbert, 2005)
Psychosis: CBT for psychosis (CBTp), in line with NICE CG178 (2014)
Bipolar disorder: Manualised CBT for bipolar disorder (Lam et al., 2003), a bipolar-specific psychological intervention as recommended by NICE CG185 (2014)
Eating disorders in adults: Enhanced CBT (CBT-E; Fairburn, 2008), in line with NICE NG69 (2017)
Body dysmorphic disorder: CBT for BDD including exposure and response prevention, in line with NICE CG31 (2005) (Veale & Neziroglu, 2010; Wilhelm, Phillips & Steketee, 2013)
Specific phobia: Exposure therapy, including one-session treatment (Öst, 1989)
Perinatal depression and anxiety: CBT for perinatal depression and anxiety, in line with NICE CG192 (2014), and the WHO Thinking Healthy Programme for perinatal depression (Rahman et al., 2008)
Adult ADHD: CBT for adult ADHD (Safren et al., 2005), the kind of structured ADHD-focused psychological intervention NICE NG87 (2018) describes, usually alongside medication
Alcohol misuse: Relapse prevention (Marlatt & Gordon, 1985) and CBT for alcohol misuse (NICE CG115, 2011)
Gambling: CBT for harmful gambling, in line with NICE NG248 (2025), which recommends group CBT first and individual CBT where a group is unsuitable
Stress and life problems: Problem-Solving Therapy (D’Zurilla & Nezu, 2007)
Chronic primary pain: CBT for pain, which NICE NG193 (2021) suggests considering alongside ACT for chronic primary pain
Recurrent depression: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT; Segal, Williams & Teasdale, 2002)

More about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

DBT

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

Also written Dialectical Behavior Therapy

For clients who struggle to regulate intense emotions, from Linehan’s Stage 1 to adolescent and overcontrol variants.

Emotion dysregulation and self-harm urges: Linehan’s biosocial model and behavioural chain analysis (1993)
Adolescents who self-harm repeatedly: DBT for Adolescents (DBT-A; Miller, Rathus & Linehan, 2007), which NICE NG225 (2022) suggests considering
Overcontrol (for example, chronic depression that has not responded to other treatment; trial evidence is early): Radically Open DBT (RO DBT; Lynch, 2018)

More about Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

ACT

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Building psychological flexibility across presentations.

Transdiagnostic, including chronic pain: The psychological-flexibility (hexaflex) model (Hayes, Strosahl & Wilson, 1999; 2nd ed. 2012)
Distress linked to psychosis: ACT for psychosis (Bach & Hayes, 2002; Gaudiano & Herbert, 2006)

More about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

MBT

Mentalization-Based Treatment

Also written Mentalisation-Based Treatment

Helping clients understand their own and others’ minds, especially under emotional pressure.

Borderline personality disorder and self-harm: Mentalization-Based Treatment (Bateman & Fonagy, 2016)
Adolescents: MBT for Adolescents (MBT-A; Rossouw & Fonagy, 2012)

More about Mentalization-Based Treatment

Schema Therapy

Working with long-standing patterns and schema modes.

Personality disorders, especially borderline personality disorder: Schema Therapy (Young, Klosko & Weishaar, 2003)

More about Schema Therapy

CFT

Compassion-Focused Therapy

For shame and harsh self-criticism.

Shame and self-criticism: Compassion-Focused Therapy (Gilbert, 2010)

More about Compassion-Focused Therapy

MCT

Metacognitive Therapy

Changing how clients relate to worry and rumination, not their content.

GAD and depression: Metacognitive Therapy (Wells, 2009)

More about Metacognitive Therapy

IPT

Interpersonal Psychotherapy

Depression through relationships: grief, disputes, life transitions and isolation.

Depression: Interpersonal Psychotherapy (Klerman, Weissman, Rounsaville & Chevron, 1984), a NICE NG222 (2022) option
Adolescent depression: IPT for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A; Mufson et al., 2004)

More about Interpersonal Psychotherapy

Motivational Interviewing

Working with ambivalence about change: alcohol, substances, health behaviour.

Ambivalence about change: Motivational Interviewing (Miller & Rollnick, 4th ed., 2023)
Alcohol misuse: Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET; Miller, Zweben, DiClemente & Rychtarik, 1992), tested in Project MATCH (1997) and UKATT (2005); NICE CG115 (2011) recommends a motivational intervention for everyone who misuses alcohol

More about Motivational Interviewing

PCT

Person-Centred Counselling and core skills

Also written Person-Centered Counseling

The foundation every therapist needs: listening, reflecting and the core conditions.

Foundations: Counselling microskills (Egan’s Skilled Helper; Ivey) and Rogers’ core conditions (1957)
Depression: Person-Centred Experiential Counselling for Depression (PCE-CfD; Sanders & Hill, 2014; Murphy, 2019)

More about Person-Centred Counselling and core skills

SFBT · PM+

Brief and community approaches

Short, structured help designed for schools, communities and primary care.

Goals and strengths: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT; de Shazer & Berg)
Distress after adversity: Problem Management Plus (PM+; WHO, 2016)

More about Brief and community approaches

PGDT

Grief therapy

For grief that has not eased with time.

Prolonged grief disorder: Prolonged Grief Disorder Therapy (PGDT, formerly Complicated Grief Treatment; Shear et al., 2005)
Prolonged grief disorder: CBT for prolonged grief with exposure (Boelen et al., 2007; Bryant et al., 2014)

More about Grief therapy

EFT · CAT

Emotion-focused and relational therapies

Working with emotion and relationship patterns in the room.

Depression and interpersonal injury: Emotion-Focused Therapy for individuals (EFT; Greenberg, Rice & Elliott, 1993; Greenberg & Watson, 2006)
Relational patterns: Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT; Ryle, 1990; Ryle & Kerr, 2002)
Borderline personality disorder: Good Psychiatric Management (GPM; Gunderson & Links, 2014)

More about Emotion-focused and relational therapies

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