CBPT for School Refusal

What you will be able to do

About this course

School refusal is not simply defiance — it reflects deep emotional distress, from morning tantrums to chronic absenteeism, and if unaddressed can disrupt emotional development and academic progress. This course shows how CBPT offers a developmentally sensitive, play-based approach to help children understand and manage their fears, build coping skills and gradually return to school.

You’ll learn to assess the underlying functions of school refusal, decide when CBPT is the right fit, and involve parents (PRIDE skills) and schools to extend gains beyond the playroom — including adaptations for older children and adolescents.

Course objectives

1. Recognize the profiles of school refusal and distinguish them from truancy
2. Apply CBPT techniques — psychoeducation, coping skills, exposure hierarchies
3. Collaborate with parents and educators across home and school settings
4. Adapt CBPT for older children and adolescents
5. Conduct case conceptualizations to tailor interventions to each profile
6. Use playful tools (CBT triangle, worry monster, thought bubbles) to externalize anxiety

Course requirements

• Psychiatrists
• Psychologists
• Clinical Social Workers
• Licensed Professional Counselors
• Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists
• Mental Health Clinical Nurse Practitioners

The delivery of the certificate of attestation at the conclusion of the course will be tied to the evaluation of participants requirements. In the absence of the requirements, the course hours will not be certified.

Curriculum  ·  2 lessons + Learning Test  ·  1h 39min

Instructor

Samantha Martin

Under Susan M. Knells scientific direction · CBPT Research Center

Samantha Martin is a Clinical Psychology graduate student in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, working on the application of CBPT to school refusal.