News

Our hugely popular SDS THURSDAYS continue to attract large audiences. New dates have been confirmed for 2023 and 2024.

In this academic year we re-design Thursday to make them more informative with clear learning outcomes for you.

They will be led by Paul Grantham, one of the best tutors in the UK on the selected topics. Join him live on Thursdays at 19.00 on Zoom, bring your questions on the topics and make these sessions into useful mini-tutorials.

By Invitation Only: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Save the dates:

• 10 April 2025 | Clinical Supervision outside the UK: Kazakhstan | With Paul Grantham

  Paul has just delivered a two-day course on CBT Clinical Supervision in Kazakhstan. This was his first visit to this vast country—the ninth largest in the world—and he will be sharing his thoughts and reflections on both the place and the people he met. To book on our BPS Approved Training on Clinical Supervision, follow this link: 10 - 11 June 2025

• 15 May 2025 | Cognitive Restructuring of Negative Automatic Thoughts | Demonstration with Paul Grantham

  Why is our CBT Introductory Course the most popular introductory training in CBT? Join us tonight to find out.

  Paul Grantham is renowned for his ability to explain even the most complex ideas in psychology and psychotherapy in clear, accessible terms.

  This evening, he will discuss one of the key CBT techniques—Cognitive Restructuring of Negative Automatic Thoughts—and demonstrate its application with a volunteer.

  This is a vital free event, so be sure to arrive on time. The room will be locked 10 minutes after the session begins.

• 16 January 2025 | Procrastination and Depression: A Chicken and Egg Dilemma | With Paul Grantham

  Paul is the author of a "I Want to Stop Procrastinating Now" Programme, that has been published as a successful book as well as been running as a two-day training course for a number of years. The programme is packed with fresh ideas and gives the participants a clear, step-by-step guide to dealing with their procrastination. The course is running again at the end of January, but tonight it is your chance to meet Paul and discover why his take on the relationship between procrastination and depression - including an experiential exercise - all within 45 mins. Participate, ask questions, comment in the chat box - let this Thursday be the first step of you path away from procrastination.

• 13 February 2025 | Meet Your Tutor: Professor Nuno Ferreira on what is ACT and how to use it with your clients | Q&As with Nuno Ferreira

  Nuno leads the BPS Approved Certificate in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, which will run fully LIVE in 2025. He also delivers a series of Masterclasses each year. As one of the most popular SDS tutors, Nuno invites you to meet him tonight. This is your chance to ask everything you want to know about ACT before booking one of his courses!

• 07 September 2023 | Psychotherapy Greats: Steve De Shazer’s Anniversary | Video illustration & Discussion with Paul Grantham

• **23 April 2026 | Exploring the ACT Practitioner’s Toolkit: A Practical Preview | With Professor Nuno Ferreira **

Join Professor Nuno Ferreira for an engaging introduction to the ACT Practitioner’s Toolkit and How to Use It, a practical three-day course designed for practitioners seeking to deepen their skills in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This short event offers an overview of the course content, highlighting how participants can apply ACT techniques in clinical practice, discuss real cases, and enhance their therapeutic effectiveness. The session is ideal for those who have completed an ACT introductory course and wish to explore how this toolkit can be used either as part of the BPS Approved Certificate in ACT or as independent professional development.

• 21 May 2026 | SFT for Stress and Burnout: where therapy and coaching come together | Interview with Paul Grantham

Join us for “SFT for Stress and Burnout: Where Therapy and Coaching Come Together”, a short event featuring an insightful interview with Paul Grantham. This session will explore how solution-focused approaches can be applied to support clients experiencing stress and burnout, bridging the worlds of therapy and coaching. Attendees will gain practical ideas and strategies, and the event will also serve as a preview of a new Masterclass launching in June, offering a deeper, hands-on exploration of this important topic.

• 18 June 2026 | AI in Therapy: Friend or Foe? | With Richard Miller, MBACP, MBPsS and Paul Grantham, Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Join us for a thought-provoking one-hour conversation, AI in Therapy: Friend or Foe?, with Richard Miller, MBACP, MBPsS, and Paul Grantham, Consultant Clinical Psychologist. Together they will explore the rapidly growing role of artificial intelligence in psychological therapy, considering both its promise and its potential risks. This informal professional discussion will examine how AI tools may support clinical practice, where caution is needed, and what these developments may mean for therapists and clients in the years ahead. Whether you feel curious, hopeful, or sceptical about AI in therapy, this session offers a valuable opportunity to reflect on the future of our profession and to join a lively and balanced exchange of ideas.

• 9 July 2026 | Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) for Working with Autistic Clients | Interview with Paul Grantham

Join us for a free one-hour SDS Thursday preview event with Paul Grantham, introducing the themes explored in the forthcoming training on Solution Focused Therapy with Autistic Clients. This session will offer an overview of how Solution Focused Therapy can be adapted in neuroaffirming and collaborative ways when working with autistic individuals, with particular attention to communication styles, sensory needs, strengths, preferred futures, and achievable change. Participants will also have the opportunity to meet the tutor, experience Paul’s practical and engaging teaching style, and ask questions before deciding whether the full training is right for them.

**Now on YouTube**: [SDS Psychotherapy Training](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKxGCzgjQ7hu6rNmfTq9A5A)

• 21 September 2023 | How to use a Solution Focused Style in Supervision | Demonstration with Paul Grantham

  Now on YouTube: SDS Psychotherapy Training

• 05 October 2023 | Are you trying to build your client’s self esteem the right way – or have you missed the right approach? | Quiz and Presentation with Paul Grantham

  This will be a fun event, where you will have the opportunity to answer Paul's Quiz questions and check straightaway whether your answers were correct. Learn evidence-based approach to working with self-esteem.

• 26 October 2023 | Acceptance or Change? Are you focusing on the right thing with your clients? | Q&A with Paul Grantham

  Psychotherapy has always been confronted by the dilemma of whether clients should change (how the feel, their thoughts, circumstances etc) or whether they should accept them. In many ways this dilemma is reflected in the difference between 2nd and 3rd Wave CBT but whatever way you work it often involves ethical decisions and in many ways makes therapy a political choice.

  For instance, is the decision to teach mindfulness (acceptance strategy) OK when the cause of the problem lies with the organisation the person works for. Is acceptance a strategy for putting up with circumstances which should change and which should be our real focus. Equally how do we respond when a clients feelings and beliefs following complex trauma seem an inevitable consequence of that trauma. Is it really realistic or acceptable to help the client change those thoughts and beliefs.

  Join in our discussion about this ethical minefield.

• 09 November 2023 | Impostor Syndrome, Safety Behaviours and how to tackle them | Presentation & Large Group Exercise with Paul Grantham

• 23 November 2023 | Therapy in the Spotlight – How do we know if therapy works or whether it damages | New Scientist article with Paul Grantham

• 07 December 2023 | The Laddering Technique for client motivation | Demonstration with Paul Grantham

• 11 January 2024 | One technique that will reduce procrastination more than any other | Presentation & Large Group Exercise with Paul Grantham

• 25 January 2024 | 5 Unanswered questions about Clinical Supervision | Presentation with Paul Grantham

• 15 February 2024 | Why 400,000 counsellors, 50,000 clinical psychologists and 8000 CBT Therapists aren’t reducing psychological distress in UK | Q & A with Paul Grantham

• 29 February 2024 | The dangers of increased mental health awareness | Texts with Paul Grantham

Registration required! Register on the Home page of SDS website (blue background) under "Sign up here for SDS Thursdays & to receive our news and promotions"

For our latest offers CLICK HERE

See you there, these meetings are absolutely free!