Training in Behavioural Psychotherapy

Extract

An important aim of the B.A.B.P. is to stimulate training programmes among the disciplines from whose ranks it draws its members. At least three big issues affect the kinds of training programmes which may be desirable. The first is the clinical setting in which the behavioural psychotherapy is to be practised, e.g. is the work going to be primarily with subnormal children, or with adult neurotics? While there are certain common therapeutic principles which can be generalised across most settings, skilled behavioural psychotherapy also requires detailed and expert knowledge of the particular clinical problems concerned. Those who have worked with adult neurotics may know very little about subnormals, and vice versa: A practitioner thus requires good experience of the clinical area involved. Recognition of the fact that different areas need differential training is attested by the separate trainings which the nursing and psychiatric professions offer for subnormality and for general psychiatry.