Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Autistic Adults Provider Training (CBT-AAPT) 2025

Thursday, March 27, 2025, 2:00 PM - Thursday, June 26, 2025, 3:30 PM, A Live Webinar

The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Autistic Adults Provider Training (CBT-AAPT) is a curriculum composed of weekly modules, both live and pre-recorded, designed to improve the attitudes of mental health providers towards autistic adults, increase their knowledge about autism, and acquire clinical skills specific to autistic adults. The target learner for CBT-AAPT are MHPs without formal clinical training in autism.

Course Schedule:
March 27, 2025 – Course Introduction (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. List core features of autism
2. Review autism terminology, historical and current, neurodiversity-affirming language
3. Describe the rationale for using CBT to treat mental health problems in autistic adults

April 3, 2025 – Conventional and Strengths-Based Assessments (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. Explain how autistic patients are assessed in specialized clinics.
2. Identify mimickers of autism presentations
3. Describe assessments by strengths-based approaches

April 10, 2025 – Orienting Autistic Adult Patients to CBT (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. Explain how to conceptualize the mental health problems of autistic adults using a CBT framework
2. List guidelines for establishing a therapeutic alliance with autistic adults, practicing neurodiversity-affirming care
3. Identify relevant cases in their own clinical work

April 17, 2025 – Individualized Case Formulation (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. Describe common developmental trajectories of autistic individuals
2. Explain the challenges of autistic individuals in educational and employment settings
3. Describe how to use an individualized case formulation for treatment planning
4. Identify one case to use from their own work as a practice example 

April 24, 2025 – Understanding the strengths and challenges of the autistic patient (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. Discuss approaches to assess the strengths of the autistic patient
2. Explain common cognitive distortions in the autistic patient

May 1, 2025 – Intervention:  Issues associated with characteristics of autism (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. List the major categories of core ASD factors that may contribute to the mental health problems presented by autistic patients
2. Describe modified CBT strategies that can help improve core ASD issues that are impacting autistic patients’ mental health

May 8, 2025 – Emotion Regulation Issues and Mindfulness-Based CBT (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. Discuss case examples of emotion regulation challenges
2. Describe mindfulness-based CBT (“third wave”) approaches that can improve emotion regulation skills in autistic patients

May 15, 2025 – Intervention:  Co-occurring Anxiety (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. List common co-occurring anxiety disorders for autistic patients
2. Describe CBT strategies to address anxiety symptoms

May 22, 2025 – Intervention: Social Functioning (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. Articulate how to apply strengths-based approaches in conducting CBT in autistic patients
2. Describe treatment strategies that can improve social cognition skills in autistic patients
3. Discuss special considerations when implementing CBT for co-occurring Social Anxiety Disorder in autistic patients

May 29, 2025 – Intervention:  Co-occurring OCD, Panic Disorders, and PTSD (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. Contrast between OCD symptoms and stereotypic behaviors in autistic patients
2. Explain common PTSD-related scenarios in autistic patients
3. Describe approaches to address OCD, panic, and PTSD symptoms in autistic adults

June 5, 2025 – Intervention: Co-occurring Mood Disorders (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. Discuss unique ways depressive symptoms may be expressed in autistic patients
2. Describe CBT strategies to address depressive symptoms

June 12, 2025 – Cultural Adaptations (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. Explain common approaches to facilitate culturally sensitive therapeutic practices for mental health providers working with adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum and their families
2. Illustrate how cultural adaptations are applied to CBT-AAPT

June 19, 2025 – Termination of Treatment (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. List the common reasons for premature termination and how to address them
2. Explain how to prepare autistic patients before termination  

June 26, 2025 – Course Review and Conclusion (LIVE; 2 to 3:30 PM Pacific Time)
1. Describe approaches to adapt CBT in addressing issues associated with core characteristics of autism 
2. Discuss at least one case where CBT was applied to address a mental health problem in an autistic adult

To register for this course, please click the Register tab above. 

Registration completed on or before February 27, 2025:
$2,000 each for individual learners.
$1,750 each for programs with 3 to 7 attendees
$1,500 each for programs with 8 or more attendees
$500 Student/Trainee Rate: The training director's letter of recommendation (LoR) is required.
$500 each for non-professionals
 
Registration completed after February 27, 2025:
$2,150 each for individual learners.
$1,900 each for programs with 3 to 7 attendees
$1,650 each for programs with 8 or more attendees
$600 Student/Trainee Rate: The training director's letter of recommendation (LoR) is required.
$600 each for non-professionals

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (21.00 hours), APA Continuing Education credits (21.00 hours), Non-Physician Participation Credit (21.00 hours)

1. Identify the needs of autistic adults in a holistic fashion.
2. Develop the competency of assessing the strengths of autistic adults.
3. Integrate principles of Strengths-Based Model of Neurodiversity to existing CBT treatment philosophy.
4. Incorporate new approaches of capturing perceived situations and automatic thoughts from autistic adults.
5. Adapt existing CBT interventions to meet the needs of autistic adults.

In support of improving patient care, Stanford Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit Designation
American Medical Association (AMA)
Stanford Medicine designates this Other (synchronous and asynchronous) activity for a maximum of 21.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits ^TM.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

American Psychological Association (APA)
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibly for the content of the programs.

Cancellation Policy
Please visit the course registration page for cancellation details. 

Stanford University School of Medicine reserves the right to cancel or postpone this program if necessary.

Accessibility Statement
 Stanford University School of Medicine is committed to ensuring that its programs, services, goods and facilities are accessible to individuals with disabilities as specified under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008.  If you have needs that require accommodations, please contact the CME Conference Coordinator.

Cultural and Linguistic Competency
The planners and speakers of this CME activity have been encouraged to address cultural issues relevant to their topic area for the purpose of complying with California Assembly Bill 1195. Moreover, the Stanford University School of Medicine Multicultural Health Portal contains many useful cultural and linguistic competency tools including culture guides, language access information and pertinent state and federal laws.  You are encouraged to visit the Multicultural Health Portal: https://laneguides.stanford.edu/multicultural-health

For activity related questions, please contact
     Name: Brandon Armstrong, MHA, CHCP
     Title: Compliance Coordinator
     Email: [email protected]

For CME general questions, please contact 
     Email: [email protected]

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Stanford Medicine adheres to the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.

There are no relevant financial relationships with ACCME-defined ineligible companies for anyone who was in control of the content of this activity, except those listed in the table below. All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.