Professional Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) & Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Presenter Bio

Susi Lodola (MIACP) is a Psychotherapist in private practice, clinical supervisor, and experience in lecturing at third level. She holds a Master of Science in CBT and Motivational Interviewing, a Higher Diploma in Psychology (UCD), and a BA (Hons) in Linguistics from UCD, as well as a BA (First Class Hons) in Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy and a Diploma in Clinical Supervision.

Course Outline

The Professional Certificate in CBT & MI introduces participants to the principles and practice of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), with a focus on how these two evidence-based approaches can be combined to support meaningful and lasting change.

MI provides a collaborative, person-centred way of engaging with clients, helping them explore and resolve ambivalence about change. Through learning and practising MI, you will develop skills in reflective listening, evoking change talk, and strengthening a client’s own motivation and commitment.

Building on MI, the course then moves into CBT. CBT offers a structured, skills-based framework for helping clients identify unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours, and to develop healthier alternatives. By starting with MI and moving into CBT, participants will see how MI techniques can enhance engagement, increase adherence, and lay the groundwork for more effective CBT interventions.

Together, MI and CBT create a powerful, practical approach that not only helps clients understand their difficulties, but also supports them in taking active steps towards change.

Key topics include:

Course Content

Motivational Interviewing (MI):

• Historical and philosophical underpinnings of MI
• Spirit and principles of MI (partnership, acceptance, compassion, evocation)
• Core MI processes: engaging, focusing, evoking, planning
• Recognising and eliciting change talk
• Working with ambivalence and resistance
• Developing skills in reflective listening and strategic questioning
• Integrating MI into brief and longer-term work
• Using MI to prepare clients for structured interventions (e.g. CBT)

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT):

• Core principles of CBT: the cognitive model, behavioural techniques, and collaborative empiricism
• Developing CBT case formulations and models for client work
• Assessment in CBT
• Introducing the CBT model to clients in an accessible way
• Session structure in CBT: agenda setting, homework, and review
• Building a therapeutic alliance and working through resistance
• Key CBT techniques: guided discovery, Socratic questioning, cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation, exposure and response prevention, relapse prevention
• Applying CBT to a variety of mental health concerns
• Integrating mindfulness with CBT
• Evaluating outcomes and ensuring evidence-based practice
• Integrating CBT within your existing theoretical framework

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Apply the spirit and principles of Motivational Interviewing (MI):
  Demonstrate the ability to use reflective listening, affirmations, open questions, and summaries to establish rapport and foster a collaborative therapeutic relationship. Recognise ambivalence as a natural part of the change process and respond in a way that encourages engagement rather than resistance.
• Elicit and strengthen motivation for change:
  Identify and evoke change talk, reduce sustain talk, and help clients explore and articulate their own reasons for change. Develop skills to support clients in moving from early engagement through to goal setting and planning, while ensuring the process remains client-centred.
• Integrate MI with CBT to enhance engagement:
  Understand how MI can be used to prepare clients for more structured CBT interventions, increasing readiness, motivation, and adherence. Develop strategies to use MI as a bridge into CBT, reducing resistance and strengthening collaboration.
• Formulate cases using CBT models:
  Construct clear CBT formulations for clients presenting with a range of mental health concerns. Link thoughts, feelings, behaviours, and physical sensations into a coherent framework that guides treatment planning and interventions.
• Communicate CBT models effectively to clients:
  Learn to explain CBT concepts and techniques in an accessible, transparent, and collaborative way. Support clients in understanding how their difficulties are maintained and how change can occur through targeted interventions.
• Apply core CBT skills and techniques:
  Practise and refine skills in guided discovery, Socratic questioning, cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation, exposure strategies, behavioural experiments, mindfulness-based techniques, and relapse prevention. Adapt these tools flexibly to meet the diverse needs of clients.
• Structure CBT sessions for effectiveness:
  Develop the ability to conduct sessions that follow a clear and collaborative structure, reviewing between-session tasks, addressing current difficulties, and setting new goals. Learn how to use and effectively set up in between sessions tasks to extend learning and support behaviour change outside of therapy.
• Evaluate progress and outcomes:
  Gain confidence in using structured measures and client feedback tools to assess progress, guide decision-making, and adapt interventions where needed. Use evaluation both as a way to track change and to strengthen the collaborative process with clients.
• Integrate MI and CBT into existing frameworks:
  Understand how MI and CBT can be combined with and adapted to other therapeutic orientations (such as psychodynamic, humanistic, or integrative). Learn how to incorporate these approaches into your own style of practice in a way that remains coherent, flexible, and client-centred.

Dates & Fees

Course Dates (2026):
16 Oct, 30 Oct, 6 Nov, 13 Nov, 20 Nov

Fee: €750
Deposit: €150 (due at booking)
2 further payments of €300 each

Booking link: https://susilodolacounselling.com/product/professional-certificate-in-cbt-35-cpd/

Contact: info@susilodolacounselling.com 

Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided on the IACP website event calendar, the IACP cannot accept any responsibility or liability for information provided by outside organisation. The views expressed in presentations made at this event are those of the event organiser / speaker and not, necessarily, of the IACP. Presentations at this event do not constitute an endorsement  of the IACP regarding organiser’s or speaker’s views, products or services.

Quick Downloads

• Direct Debit Form
• Annual CPD Log - Fillable
• Expenses Claim Form
• Data Protection Policy
• IACP Privacy Statement