How to find a cognitive behaviour therapist and/or Psychiatrist

Please visit the Irish Council of Psychotherapy website to view a list of CBT therapists in Ireland. Go to Find a therapist. Choose the County you want & set Member to CBT & click Search. A list of accredited therapists in Ireland and Britain can also be found on the BABCP website.Go to Find a CBT Therapist and pick Republic of Ireland under County and click search.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is based on a programme of structured self-help. Behaviour Therapy began in the late 1960's and is the most researched psychological treatment for OCD. This is the therapy model that research to date has found to be the most effective in the treatment of OCD, Trichotillomania and Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapists come from a variety of professional backgrounds but are usually psychologists, nurses or psychiatrists. A directory of accredited cognitive behavioural therapists in Ireland and in the UK can be obtained from 'Find a Therapist' section on the website of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP). The BABCP telephone number is +44 (0) 1254 875277. Cognitive behaviour therapists do not need to be accredited by the BABCP and many do not bother, but it does guarantee certain minimum standards of training. It is very important that you clarify the degree of training your therapist has. Some therapists in Ireland claim to be CBT therapists based on skills accquired at short duration courses but training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy requires meeting certain minimum training standards not limited to but involving certain basic requirements containing "cognitive/behavioural elements of training of 450 hours of which 200 hours should be provided directly by recognised trainers through a recognised course or other programme of study". See BABCP Mininium Training Standards. Hence CBT training is often encapsulated in a Postgraduate Training programme of 1-2 years or more duration from the Postgraduate Diploma to Masters level.

Further information about private treatment may be obtained from the Psychological Society of Ireland or possibly from one of these other organisations:

National Association for CBT
Contact: Kathleen Barry or Sligo Mental Health Services,
Tel: 071 55120

Irish Association for CBT (branch of the BABCP)
Secretary: Andy Giffney,
St Otterans Hosp,
Waterford;

University College Cork
(Masters in CBT programme - Edith Quayle is in charge)
Dept of Applied Psychology, UCC, Cork.

Trinity College Dublin
(Pg Dip in CBT programme - Dr. Brian Fitzmaurice is the person in charge)
Dept of Psychiatry.

Trinity College Dublin
(Doctorate in Counselling Psychology programme)
Dept of Psychology

University College Dublin
MSc in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Children & Adolescents
Contact Point: Dr. Yulia Zyrianova

      How to find a Psychiatrist

In order to gain access to a Psychiatrist, you should seek a a referral from your local/Family GP. Pychiatrists usually require a referral from a GP although in certain cases they may accept referrals from a therapist, where appropriate. Partial refunding for visits to a Consultant Psychiatrist is available under private insurance/health cover, although this is sadly not the case in this country for visits to a Cognitive Behavioual Therapist except where CBT is made available in the context of an hospital inpatient service. When making an appointment with a psychiatrist, it's ok to inquire about the individual's qualifications as well as what his/her experience with any of these disorders may be since the professional training may vary.

      What to look for in a therapist?

OCD Ireland has created the following guide with respect to help you choosing a therapist. It has been adapted from: "How To Choose a Behavior Therapist" by Michael Jenike, MD as well as the International OCD Foundation Guide. It can be downloaded here (.doc) or here (.pdf)

      Med 1 Scheme

Medication and visits to the GP and/or psychiatrist are eligible for partial refunds under the Medical One scheme. The following link businesspost/2005/01/09/story.asp is to a story from the Sunday Business Post Online about this scheme and here is where to find the Med 1 form: www.revenue.ie/pdf/med1.pdf. Also, if you have private insurance, such as BUPA and VHI, it may be worthwhile to see what treatments are covered under their plans.