Online training in Control-Focused Behavioral Treatment

Online training in Control-Focused Behavioral Treatment (CFBT) is provided by Professor Metin Başoğlu, who is one of the most prominent authorities in his field. He is internationally known for his cutting-edge and innovative research on treatment of trauma caused by wars, torture, and earthquakes. If you are not familiar with his work, take your time to examine his biography, research program, publications, media output, and blog articles to have an idea how his work informs professional and public opinion through media. Some of his published articles can be downloaded from ResearchGate.

Why train in CFBT?

This training program provides a unique opportunity to lean delivery of CFBT, an innovative and highly effective intervention developed by Professor Başoğlu through 30 years of research. If you read the section on Control-Focused Behavioral Treatment in this website or his last article on CFBT (highly recommended), you will see that this intervention confers distinct advantages over other “evidence-based” trauma treatments in the following ways:

CFBT is radically different in its theoretical basis in aiming for enhancement of sense of control over (or resilience against) traumatic stressors, rather than mere reduction in anxiety and related symptoms. Although anxiety diminishes with increased sense of control in most cases, improvement occurs even without substantial reduction in anxiety. Its sharp focus on resilience-building makes it more suitable for environments involving ongoing threats to safety, where anxiety reduction is neither feasible nor desirable.
Treatment focuses solely on avoidance behaviors and does not involve any other interventions, such as systematic cognitive restructuring or imaginal exposure. This makes it relatively easier to administer and train therapists in its delivery. A behavioral focus also makes it more applicable across different cultural settings.
Treatment rejection or dropout from treatment due to intolerance of anxiety is not uncommon in exposure-based treatments. The rationale and delivery procedures of CFBT are different from those in other treatments in ways that minimize these problems.
It is a brief treatment that can also be delivered in a single session when the need arises in post-disaster settings.
It is suitable for self-administration without therapist involvement. As such, it is the only treatment that makes cost-effective dissemination of effective psychological care to large survivor populations possible after major disasters.
With over 80% reduction in PTSD symptoms, it achieves substantially greater overall improvement (over 90%) than all other treatments (around 50%), including cognitive behavioral treatment (see Başoğlu, 2022 for review of evidence). Such substantial reduction in PTSD symptoms means much less residual symptomatology and less likelihood of relapse.
Improvement generalizes to all re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal symptoms of PTSD, as well as depressive symptoms and functional impairment, ultimately leading to increased sense of control over life in general (click on the links to see the rates of improvement in individual symptoms). Improvement in cognitive symptoms of PTSD and depression is particularly noteworthy, considering that the treatment does not involve any systematic cognitive interventions specifically targeting these symptoms.

These features of CFBT inevitably raise an important question that needs to be addressed. If such remarkable improvement can be achieved by a brief treatment with a sole focus on sense of control and avoidance, what does this imply for other “evidence-based” treatments, which often involve multiple and lengthy procedures? It simply tell us what the critical therapeutic ingredient in therapy is and that everything else is redundant. Researchers and clinicians with some experience in the field are becoming increasingly aware of the shortcomings of these treatments because of their less-than-satisfactory outcomes arising from the problems in their underlying theory. As an essentially “empowerment” strategy, CFBT is the only intervention that can circumvent the limitations of other therapies.

Training Program

The training program involves 12 weekly online seminars that covers the topics listed in the SYLLABUS. Professor Başoğlu prefers an ‘active participation’ approach in training, rather than traditional didactic methods involving only lectures. This means that the trainees actively participate in their learning process by preparing for each seminar. Accordingly, they will be provided with reading material before each seminar, including (but not limited to) various articles and chapters selected from Professor Başoğlu’s publications, and they will be expected to read the material and present it for discussion during the seminar. This is designed to help the participants gain familiarity with the topics covered beforehand so that they can come better prepared to raise questions or issues for further discussion. This will ensure that they fully understand the contents of the reading material and progress through the program smoothly.

Although training does not involve opportunities for observing delivery of CFBT, participants can expect to gain sufficient understanding of its theory and practice through reading assignments and discussions with Professor Başoğlu. If any of the participants are involved in work with trauma survivors, they can present their cases for demonstration of behavioral analysis of problems and delivery of treatment.

Training also provides an opportunity to learn about the mental healthcare model for mass trauma survivors developed by Professor Başoğlu. The assessment instruments that are also essential in treatment will be made available to the participants for use in their future work.

Because the training involves weekly reading assignments, it is important to choose a 3-month period during which you can devote sufficient time to this program.

Timing of training

There are four 3-month training periods during a year: January to April, April to July, July to October, and October to January.

Fee policy

The online training program will be conducted when there are a minimum of 5 applicants who are able to participate in the program during the same period. Each training period will involve a maximum of 10 participants. Depending on the number of participants, the fees are as follows:

5 participants: 5,000 USD / person

6-10 participants: 4,000 USD /person

Training in groups is preferred, as this is likely to make the training more affordable. If interested, it is worth registering your interest with Professor Başoğlu as early as possible so that the actual cost (and date) of training can be determined sooner than later.

Application procedures

Please send a letter of intent to Professor Başoğlu (mbasoglu@dabatem.org) and provide answers to the questions below.

Have you received any previous training in psychological trauma? If so, from whom or where?
Do you have any previous training in any form of psychotherapy (e.g. psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral)?
Are you currently involved in any work with trauma survivors? If yes, please briefly describe its nature.
How familiar are you with Professor Başoğlu’s work?
How do you think the training program will contribute to your future career?
What are your first and second preferences among the four start dates of the 3-month training program (January, April, July, October)?
What is the source of funding for your training (e.g. personal, scholarship, grant, etc.)?

Registration

Registration will require an initial deposit payment of 1,000 USD. Please note that a full refund upon subsequent cancellation will be possible only if the applicant provides reasons beyond one’s control (e.g. illness, etc.) or if the training is cancelled by Professor Başoğlu for some reason. The remaining amount may be paid any time until the start of the training period.

Certification of training

A certificate of attendance at the training program can be provided, if requested.