In-Congress Workshop 26 - Failing Better. Encouraging Adoption of CBT by Non-psychologist Professionals Through a Competency-focused Approach

The escalating global mental health crisis demands innovative solutions beyond traditional training models. With a profound shortage of psychologists, psychologists and other experts in CBT are increasingly tasked with equipping non-specialists—from lay clergy to psychiatrists-in-training—with effective psychological tools. However, the diverse backgrounds, limited time, and varied professional contexts of these trainees often hinder the successful adoption of gold standard full-package CBT protocols (Sudak & Goldberg, 2012; Fefergrad & Mulsant, 2022). This workshop explores what we may gain by shifting training focus from proficiency in an entire CBT protocol to instead identify "cornerstone psychotherapy competencies" (Fefergrad & Mulsant, 2022). These core skills are identified through rigorous analysis of population "need" and practical "applicability" across diverse professional responsibilities, ensuring relevance and maximizing uptake. By highlighting the immediate utility and broad applicability of these cornerstone competencies across various aspects of their work, trainees are empowered to integrate and practice these skills with greater flexibility in a variety of professional contexts, fostering a virtuous cycle of continuous skill acquisition even within resource-constrained environments. Through interactive exercises, attendees will gain hands-on experience conducting "need" and "applicability" analyses for their training environments and develop curricula as well as teaching and supervision strategies to help trainees acquire and implement cornerstone competencies. As a practical exemplar, we will deeply explore guided discovery and Socratic dialogue, demonstrating how we can both teach it, and how we can empower trainees to apply this foundational skill across their professional lives, enhancing engagement and therapeutic outcomes.