Unified Protocol (UP) Training

Internationally recognised training for transdiagnostic, emotion focused CBT work

UP training at Apsiha is designed for therapists seeking clearer case formulation, more flexible work with multiple co occurring difficulties and a deeper understanding of emotional mechanisms. The program is delivered by an international UP trainer and is recognised by the Unified Protocol Institute (UPI).

Why UP training?

Many clients present with combinations of difficulties that do not fit neatly into a single diagnosis. Symptoms often cluster together, amplify one another and erode wellbeing, creating a clinical picture that is hard to disentangle and even harder to prioritise.The Unified Protocol (UP) simplifies this complexity by shifting the focus from diagnosis to the emotional processes that maintain distress. For many clients, these processes involve intense emotional reactions, negative interpretations of those reactions and avoidance patterns that reduce discomfort in the short term but maintain problems over time.

Instead of requiring therapists to learn multiple disorder specific protocols, UP offers one coherent, empirically grounded framework that helps clients build a more flexible relationship with their emotions, leading to more stable and broadly generalisable therapeutic gains.

Key advantages of UP training

  • A transdiagnostic structure provides unified treatment for clients with multiple co occurring difficulties, reducing complexity and directly addressing comorbidity
  • A focus on changing the relationship with emotions, rather than eliminating symptoms, supports durable improvements that generalise across life domains
  • A modular design, combined with high treatment retention, increases the likelihood that clients remain engaged long enough to benefit from the work
  • A single unified framework replaces numerous disorder specific protocols, enhancing therapist confidence, consistency and treatment fidelity

UP training is facilitated by an international UP trainer and is sponsored and recognised by the Unified Protocol Institute (UPI). Participants receive UPI certification and can join the global network of UP practitioners.

What UP training includes?

Training is aligned with competencies developed through UP Level 1 (UP Basics) and UP Level 2 (UP Practitioner) programs of the Unified Protocol Institute (UPI).

UP Level 1. Full day workshop (foundational knowledge)

  • Overview of empirical findings on UP treatment outcomes
  • UP model of emotional disorders and three core maintaining processes
  • Fundamentals of UP case conceptualization
  • Introduction to treatment modules and their functions

UP Level 2. Practitioner training (12–16 sessions)

  • Developing UP case conceptualization and flexible module selection
  • Weekly consultations combined with deliberate practice in a triad
  • Integrating UP with other modalities, if congruent with the approach
  • Working with complex clinical presentations

How UP practitioner training works?

Practitioner training follows the full day foundational workshop (Level 1). Level 2 consultations are delivered in triads once per week, across 12–16 sessions, covering the full duration of treatment.

Each session includes:

  • Case analysis through UP mechanisms and concepts
  • Refinement and expansion of conceptualization
  • Module selection and application based on clinical priorities
  • Planning, implementing and evaluating each treatment module
  • Integrating UP with the therapist’s primary modality when appropriate

Training is highly interactive: the goal is for therapists to internalise UP principles, understand its mechanisms and master practical skills they can immediately apply in clinical work.

Who is the UP training for?

  • Therapists who have completed some level of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training and want to develop transdiagnostic and UP informed competencies
  • Therapists working with clients who present with overlapping difficulties, where clear prioritisation and understanding of emotional mechanisms is essential
  • Therapists seeking a modular, resource rich and structured clinical framework instead of relying on multiple disorder specific protocols
  • Therapists who want to strengthen their skills in exposure, working with intense emotions and applying UP case conceptualization in complex clinical situations.

What does UP offer to therapists already practicing CBT?

The UP builds on existing CBT skills and integrates them into a transdiagnostic framework that supports clearer and more consistent clinical decision making. Instead of switching between multiple disorder specific protocols, therapists develop one unified case conceptualization and plan treatment based on the emotional processes and mechanisms that maintain distress.

This provides:

  • greater confidence in clinical decisions, because treatment is guided by mechanisms rather than diagnostic labels
  • more flexibility when working with clients who present with overlapping or complex difficulties
  • a more consistent and structured treatment plan, without constantly shifting between protocols
  • stronger integration of existing CBT techniques within a modular, emotion focused approach

Secure your spot in the upcoming UP training and join the global network of UP practitioners.

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