Talking Therapies Programme information
The Sheffield programmes were established in 2008 as part of a national programme to train an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) workforce - recently renamed Talking Therapies.
The Talking Therapies initiative was developed in order to train workers to support the delivery of treatment for depression and anxiety disorders in line with National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidance. The initial Talking Therapies programme began in 2006 with demonstration sites at Doncaster and Newham aiming to test the effectiveness of interventions offered. The national rollout commenced in 2008 in order to offer patients routine and least burdensome treatment for depression and anxiety disorders. The Talking Therapies programmes operate within a stepped care model with Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners placed at Step 2 and High Intensity Therapists placed at Step 3.
Both programmes are accredited by the relevant professional bodies - the PWP training is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), and the HIPI training is accredited by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP).
Places on both programmes are funded by Health Education Yorkshire and are designed to meet the service needs of IAPT service providers. The programmes are the sole provider of High Intensity and PWP training in the Yorkshire and Humber locality. Both programmes run for one year, beginning in October. Recruitment takes place in conjunction with the Talking Therapies services from April – August (approximately). In order to access training, applicants must apply for the relevant trainee post within the NHS or specified Third Sector organisation.
For more specific information about the PWP and CBT Talking Therapies programmes, please the individual programme web pages.
Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners training
Contact
Further information about the individual programmes can be found on their respective pages, accessible via the links above.
The IAPT tutors are based within the Clinical Psychology Unit. Please see their section of the CPU staff page, for further information and contact details. Any additional enquires can be directed to the IAPT Administrator.
Supervisor Training
The Talking Therapies team also provide input into supervision training for qualified local Talking Therapies clinicians who supervise both qualified and trainee PWPs and HIPIs. This training is made available to Talking Therapies staff in the Midlands in addition to Yorkshire and Humber and is funded by education commissioners. The programme is annually evaluated and trains large cohorts of Talking Therapies staff each year. For further information on how to access this training, please contact Sue Maskrey, Talking Therapies Supervision Training Administrator.
Excellence in Teaching & Research
The Sheffield Talking Therapies programmes started in 2008, and were awarded a Senate Award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching in 2011. The Talking Therapies staff teach on other low and high intensity training courses over the UK and present at national and international conferences.
The Talking Therapies programmes are delivered by the Clinical Psychology Unit, which houses a group of research active clinical academics who are committed to enhancing clinical research through publication in quality journals, contributing to developments in clinical practice through the dissemination of research findings, and providing excellence in professional training and the local provision of clinical services.
Read more about the research carried out in the Clinical Psychology Unit