External Training Events

Professor Freeston's main research interests are in the field of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Generalised Anxiety Disorder and other disorders dominated by intrusive thoughts, worry and rumination.

The current focus is to extend psychological models of these disorders through increasing the degree of specification. Through this strategy, the aim is to ultimately develop a knowledge base that will enable treatments to become more effective for those who currently benefit little with existing psychological treatments.

In the last two years, Professor Freeston and his colleagues have been looking at Intolerance of Uncertainty (IoU) as a trans-situational factor and how people react to real-life events that have both uncertainty and threat as their defining features. Since the pandemic, they have been developing and testing the model, developing interventions, and providing training for uncertainty distress. Ongoing tests of the model include the various uncertainties of the pandemic that also go beyond health (finances, occupation, social change, etc.), climate change and extreme weather, Long Covid, and they will soon be considering uncertainty related to vaccines. In addition, they are also examining the role of interoception and how it contributes to IoU and whether an increased focus on the body may potentiate our current interventions.

The event will allow participants to engage in discussion and appropriate role-plays during which they can draw on their own clinical and personal experiences if they feel comfortable using them. There will be video examples of work with IoU.

This event is suitable for trainee and expert cognitive behavioural psychotherapists, psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists and psychiatrists, who see patients presenting with trauma in their clinical practice

1. To introduce attendees to a new model of IoU as a trans-situational factor in terms of how people react to real life events and threat
2. An overview of the various applicable interventions and how they are to be successfully applied using this model
3. To encourage attendees to understand the needs of diverse cultures and groups, in the sensitive assessment and treatment of IoU

Professor Mark Freeston

After completing post-doctoral studies, Professor Freeston took up a position as Assistant Professor (Research) at Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin in Montréal supported by les Fonds de Recherche en Santé du Québec (1997-1999) and then as Research Scholar by the Medical Research Council of Canada (1999-2000). He moved to Newcastle in September 2000 to take a post as Director of Research and Training at the Newcastle Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies Centre and Honorary Professor at the University of Durham. In March 2001, Professor Freeston was appointed Professor of Clinical Psychology at Newcastle University where he is Senior Research Tutor for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

From 2003 to 2006 he chaired the NICE Guideline Development Group for CG 31 (Obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder: treatment). He was Course Director for the NCBTC Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Therapy from 2000 to 2010 and Head of Research and Development at Newcastle Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies Centre until 2018.

He teaches research methods in clinical psychology, with a particular interest in “smallish-N” designs in clinical settings and Single Case Experimental Design. Professor Freeston provides research supervision to PhD, DClinPsy, MPhil, MSc and undergraduate students and has supervised or co-supervised over 50 students in recent years.

Professor Freeston regularly provides workshops on the cognitive behavioural treatment of OCD and GAD in the UK, Europe and elsewhere as well as experiential approaches to training in CBT for anxiety, workshops on clinical supervision in CBT, approaches to comorbidity and complexity, and Intolerance of Uncertainty as a Transdiagnostic Construct.

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In person events

• An event booking cancelled up to 14 days prior to the scheduled event will receive a full refund.
• An event booking cancelled between 14 and 7 days prior to the scheduled event will receive a 50% refund.
• No refunds will be granted if a cancellation is made fewer than 7 days prior to the scheduled event, or for failure to attend.

BABCP cancels events only, when necessary, but reserves the right to do so, as well as to reschedule events and substitute presenters.  If an event is cancelled by BABCP you will be given a full refund of registration fees paid.

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