ISEP offers one of the only master’s programs in Spain that integrates different third-generation therapies or contextual therapies to provide therapists with comprehensive training and adequate specialization, thus addressing the changing trend in therapeutic intervention.
These new approaches can be considered extensions of cognitive behavioral therapy, evolutions, new intervention models that share common characteristics such as focusing on the context and function of psychological events (thoughts, sensations, or emotions) instead of targeting the content, intensity, and frequency of such events: the focus is not on changing the content of internal experiences but on modifying their function by altering the context in which they occur so that it is not an obstacle.
Contextual approaches also work on building sets of skills that can be used in various situations: to regulate emotions, to exercise flexibility in attention, etc. The new third-generation therapies allow shifting the focus from a syndromic approach and symptom elimination to new learning and new skills.
Third-wave therapies offer distinct perspectives on human suffering and on how to achieve a meaningful life, and in recent years they have gained strength and presence. People no longer just want to live, but to live fully. Hence the change in trend. The evolution of psychological intervention and therapist skills is so significant that it requires training updates to offer effective practice. Mastering techniques and coping resources for difficulties that may arise in therapy, in addition to offering more effective therapy in each case, is ISEP’s premise, and the master’s program has been designed following these guidelines.
The training not only includes the development of therapist skills (empathy, active listening, positive acceptance…) but also specialization in nine of the most prominent third-generation therapies.
MBSR: Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction – Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction
MBCT: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy – Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
FAP: Functional-analytic psychotherapy – Functional-analytic psychotherapy
ACT: Acceptance and commitment therapy – Acceptance and commitment therapy
DBT: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy – Dialectical Behavioral Therapy<
BA: Behavioral Activation – Behavioral Activation
EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
IBCT: Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy – Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy
SFBT: Solution Focused Brief Therapy – Solution Focused Brief Therapy
ISEP also advocates for the impact of new technologies as a tool with great potential for the field of mental health. These types of systems allow improving the effectiveness of current psychological evaluation and treatment programs, and it is essential for professionals in this field to know the present and future advantages of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) within the framework of their professional performance.
The Master’s in Third-Generation Therapies and Application of New Technologies combines contextual therapies and ICT, presenting a training itinerary aimed at professional specialization and qualification to carry out effective interventions in the treatment of major behavioral disorders.