Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Certificate Program:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This course is held under the auspices of the:
 Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development, Faculty of
Medicine, University of Toronto
 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Ontario.
FAQ:
1. General
a) What are the requirements to complete the certificate program?
b) What are the prerequisites for the certificate program?
c) Is there a particular order in which I need to complete the courses?
d) Is the certificate program accredited?
e) What is the duration of the certificate program?
f) What will my time commitments be?
g) If I have already done introductory-level CBT training at other institutions,
could I attend the intermediate- and advanced-level courses and become
eligible for the certificate program?
2. Assessment of Competence in CBT
a) Will my competence in CBT be assessed as a requirement for the
certificate program?
b) How and when should I register for this assessment process?
c) What is the cost of the assessment process?
d) Exam 1: What should I expect on the day of the online multiple choice
exam?
e) What is the pass mark for the online multiple choice exam?
f) When will I receive my exam results for the online component?
g) What happens if I cannot make a scheduled online multiple choice exam?
h) When will I receive my exam results for the Audio or Video recorded
treatment session?
i) What device do you recommend for recording patient sessions?
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j)
k)
l)
m)
How should I prepare for this assessment process?
Is supervision recommended prior to the assessment process?
Who are the supervisors?
How many patients/clients do I need to see to be eligible to participate in
the supervision program?
n) Am I responsible for securing patients/clients or does CAMH/U of T?
o) If I do not have English-speaking patients/clients, can I still participate in
the supervision process?
3. Exam rescheduling
a) What happens if I do not meet the requirements for a passing grade on
the exams?
4. Certificate of completion
a) Now that I have completed the three required courses, how do I request
my certificate?
1. General
What are the requirements to complete the certificate program?
Eligibility for the University of Toronto CBT Certificate Program requires the completion
of three courses listed below, and a passing grade on both an online multiple-choice
test and one audio or video recorded presentation of the learner conducting a
behavioural therapy session within the 2-year delivery cycle of the course.
 CBT Summer Training Institute: CBT Essentials for Depression, Social Anxiety
and Panic Disorder (L1)
 Intermediate CBT Institute: How to Become a Highly-Rated Cognitive Behavior
Therapist (L2)
 Advanced CBT Institute: The Wisdom of the Seasoned Therapist (L3),
Each course can be completed as a stand-alone continuing education course or as part
of the certificate program.
What are the prerequisites for the certificate program?
It is expected that participants will have prior experience in counselling and mental
health. The program will not teach basic counselling and therapy.
The certificate program is open to registered members of regulated health professions,
such as social work, psychology, occupational therapy, nursing, psychiatry and family
medicine.
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Is there a particular order in which I need to complete the courses?
We recommend applicants start with the CBT Summer Training Institute: CBT
Essentials for Depression, Social Anxiety and Panic Disorder (L1).
Is the certificate program accredited?
The University of Toronto’s Continuing Professional Development Faculty of Medicine
has accredited this program for 39.0 credits. This includes the following components,
each individually accredited:
 CBT Summer Training Institute: CBT Essentials for Depression, Social Anxiety
and Panic Disorder (L1)
 Intermediate CBT Institute: How to Become a Highly-Rated Cognitive Behavior
Therapist (L2)
 Advanced CBT Institute: The Wisdom of the Seasoned Therapist (L3)
To receive credits, full attendance is required at each course. Partial credits are not
available.
What is the duration of the certificate program?
The certificate program is offered in a two-year delivery cycle. Learners must complete
all three courses and the exam within two years of attending the first course, CBT
Summer Training Institute: CBT Essentials for Depression, Social Anxiety and Panic
Disorder (L1).
The current two-year delivery cycle began on May 28, 2015, and ends May 28, 2017.
What will my time commitments be?
The certificate program consists of three courses and two exams. Each course may be
taken as a stand-alone or as part of the certificate program.
 Level 1: Three-day in-person training
 Level 2: Three -day in person training
 Level 3: Three -day in person training
 Exam1: Two-hour online multiple choice
 Exam 2: One audio or video recording example of a mid-treatment cognitive
therapy session (a maximum length of 45 minutes would be appropriate)
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If I have already done introductory-level CBT training at other institutions, could I
attend the intermediate- and advanced-level courses and become eligible for the
certificate program?
Our experience has shown a significant variation in content between courses at different
institutions. Therefore, we cannot transfer credits from other institutions. Our certificate
program is approved and accredited as a whole. No parts of it can be missed or
replaced by other courses.
2. Assessment of competence in CBT
Will my competence in CBT be assessed as a requirement for the certificate
program?
Your assessment of competence in CBT is a requirement for the University of Toronto
Certificate Program. Two assessment methods are used:
 Exam 1: A two-hour online multiple choice exam
 Exam 2: One audio- or video-recorded treatment session
o This must be an example of a mid-treatment cognitive therapy session.
o Intake, wrap-up or booster sessions will not be considered
o A maximum length of 45 minutes (of a continuous section of one
therapeutic session) would be appropriate..
o The recording must be audible for the client and therapist.
o The recording will be evaluated by means of the Cognitive Therapy ScaleRevised (CTS-R), which is an established measure of therapist
performance.
o The recorded session must be accompanied by the client’s sign Consent
and Release Form.
How and when should I register for this assessment process?
After completing all three courses, potential candidates must complete the required
application form.
Once the application form is submitted (based on instructions provided) and received by
CAMH, notice of confirmation will be provided within 5-7 business days.
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What is the cost of the assessment process?
The total cost for the online multiple-choice test and evaluation of the recorded example
is $495 + HST.
The fee must be paid when registering for the exam.
Exam 1: What should I expect on the day of the online multiple choice exam?
This is a two-hour online multiple-choice exam. A passing grade is required before
proceeding to Exam 2.
What is the pass mark for the online multiple choice exam?
The pass mark is 75%
When will I receive my exam results for the online component?
Upon completion of the online exam, the exam coordinator will present your score. If
you fail, directions for re-applying will be provided. The online exam may be redone
once for an additional fee of $100 + HST.
What happens if I cannot make a scheduled online multiple choice exam?
You will forfeit your examination registration under the following circumstances:
 Failing to contact the course director/exam coordinator two business days prior to
your scheduled testing session
 Failing to log in and log out for your examination appointment
When will I receive my exam results for the recorded treatment session?
These will arrive within 2-3 weeks of the evaluation.
What device do you recommend for recording patient sessions?
We do not recommend a specific device or technology. For audio recordings, you may
find it convenient to use a digital recorder that converts to MP3 files.
How should I prepare for this assessment process?
We recommend completing the required reading in preparation for the online multiple
choice exams:
 Beck, J.S. (2011). Cognitive Therapy: Basics and Beyond, second edition. New
York: Guilford.
 Beck, J.S. (2011). Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems: What to Do
When the Basics Don't Work. New York: Guilford.
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Is supervision recommended prior to the assessment process?
Although supervision arrangements are not the integral part of the certificate, it is an
essential component of any good therapeutic practice and should be observed by
everyone practicing CBT.
You will be provided with a list of supervisors. However, all the supervision
arrangements must be organized between individual applications and the supervisor
directly.
Who are the supervisors?
The supervisors are certified cognitive behavior therapists with experience in
supervision.
How many patients/clients do I need to see to be eligible to participate in the
supervision program?
There is no minimum number of patients/clients that you must see to participate, as long
as you can submit the recording of a patient session for supervision.
Am I responsible for securing patients/clients or does CAMH or the University of
Toronto do this?
For supervision sessions, you will record patients from your own practice.
If I do not have English-speaking patients/clients, can I still participate in the
supervision process?
No--at this time the program only accepts English-speaking patients/clients.
3. Exam rescheduling
What happens if I do not meet the requirements for a passing grade on the
exams?
You may reschedule both exams by submitting a retake application:
 Exam 1: The online exam may be redone once for an additional fee of $100 +
HST.
 Exam 2: Re-evaluations of the recording may be redone a maximum of twice for
a fee each time of $200 + HST.
Please note: Both exams and any re-evaluations must be completed within the same
two-year course delivery cycle.
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4. Certificate of completion
Now that I have completed the three required courses, how do I request my
certificate?
Please complete and submit the required application form, and pay the $50 application
fee. Certificates will be issued by the Continuing Professional Development
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (please allow 6-8 weeks).
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