Understanding emotions as an alternative to diagnosis

About

This webinar outlines a novel approach to understanding and supporting people with emotional difficulties. It begins with an understanding of emotions as normal human phenomena that serve important functions in our lives at the individual and societal levels. 

It moves on to show how difficulties with emotions can be understood as emotional 'traps' that are maintained by problematic ways of responding to emotions and how evidence-based interventions can help people get out of these 'traps'.

The approach is consistent with CBT and has been described as a "developmentally attuned approach, which is transdiagnostic and, with its primary focus on emotions, is better targeted than traditional CBT for young people" by Professor Patrick McGorry (Professor of Youth Mental Health) and as a "paradigm shift" by Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes (Past President of the BPS).

The approach enables psychologists and other professionals to provide evidence-based support and intervention to people without using the diagnostic model, psychiatric labels or terms of illness. It is a normalising approach that aims to encourage people to view themselves as fundamentally similar to others and to make changes to how they respond to emotions to bring about the changes they want in their lives. 

Date: Tuesday, 23 September 2025 

Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

This webinar will be recorded. The recording will be available for 12 weeks after the live session. 

This webinar is available to book until 10 am on 22 September 2025 and is available in English only. 

Attendees of this webinar will receive a Certificate of Attendance. 

Learning outcomes

By the end of this webinar, you'll be able to:

• Understand and explain the basics of emotion science
• Start to apply emotion science to clinical work
• Evaluate this approach in comparison to the usual practice for your own work
• Consider the opportunities and challenges of implementing these ideas in clinical work

Is this webinar right for me? 

The webinar will be of interest to anybody using psychological ideas in their work, ranging from clinicians working with clients to those working in education and social care.  It would interest, in particular, to those uncomfortable with using the diagnostic model in their work and looking for alternative approaches, whether entering the profession or seasoned professionals.

Presenter

Dr Lawrence Howells 

The presenter has been delivering lectures and skills sessions online and in-person to trainee CBT therapists, trainee clinical psychologists and trainee clinical associate psychologists regularly (sometimes 4 times per week) since September 2019. 

As a result, he is able to deliver online content in an interactive and engaging manner. He is a clinical associate professor at the University of East Anglia and has presented workshops for the BPS and the BABCP.

Pricing

Price: £87.50 (+ VAT) 
Members: £52.50 (+ VAT) 

In addition to the site policies, this course is subject to additional terms and conditions.

Booking on behalf of an organisation?

If you or your colleagues are looking to book onto this course as a group, you can make savings by booking ten or more places. To find out more about our packages, contact [email protected]

Invoicing

If your organisation prefers invoicing over online payment, that's no problem. We can invoice you for 5 or more purchases, or if your purchase is for more than £250.

In order to request a quote for five or more learners, please complete this form. If you are looking to book for fewer than 5 learners, please proceed directly to requesting an invoice by completing the invoice request form.

To request an invoice, please complete this form. We also provide guidance to support this process. Please note, to raise an invoice, you will need to provide a Purchase Order. Once the invoice has been paid, we will provide your learners with details of how to access their learning. 

Contact

This webinar is provided by BPS Professional Development. You can contact us at [email protected]

You may also be interested in our other courses on BPS Learn, including those related to mental health and wellbeing and your personal development. You can also explore the range of BPS books available via Routledge, where BPS members receive a 25% discount.