Unified Protocol for Emotional Disorders
Target the emotional processes that drive anxiety, depression, and related disorders with one evidence-based treatment framework.
About the course
Start date
Starts 14 July 2026Length
12hrs | 6 weeksWho this course is for
For Mental Health Professionals, Health Professionals & CoachesAccreditation
12 CE / CME CreditsOrganization Enquiries
Find out moreClients rarely present with a single diagnosis. Anxiety, depression, panic, obsessive thinking, emotional avoidance, and other co-occurring difficulties often arise from shared emotional processes. Traditional treatment approaches can make it difficult to know where to begin and what to prioritise.
The Unified Protocol takes a different approach. Rather than requiring therapists to select separate treatments for different diagnoses, it provides a single framework for understanding and treating a wide range of emotional disorders.
By helping clients become more aware of their emotional experiences, reduce emotional avoidance, and respond more flexibly to difficult emotions, the Unified Protocol provides a practical framework for treating anxiety, depression, and related emotional disorders.
$290
Save $200
Unified Protocol for Emotional Disorders
Normally $490
Enroll now$290
Very Early Registration | Save $200
Learn From the Developers and Leaders of the Unified Protocol
David Barlow is the developer of the Unified Protocol and one of the most influential figures in the development of modern Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. As founder of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University, his research has shaped the understanding and treatment of anxiety, mood, and related emotional disorders for more than four decades.
Todd Farchione is co-author of the Unified Protocol treatment manuals, Research Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University, and Director of the Intensive Treatment Program at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders. He has spent many years researching, teaching, and applying the Unified Protocol and brings deep expertise in its clinical application.
Together, they bring decades of experience developing, researching, and teaching the Unified Protocol.
Dr Farchione is also available throughout the course forum to answer questions and provide guidance as you work through the material.
Moving Beyond Diagnosis-Focused Treatment
Many evidence-based treatments are designed for a single diagnosis. However, clients often present with co-occurring emotional disorders, making it difficult to know where to begin.
The Unified Protocol helps clinicians move beyond a diagnosis-focused approach by targeting the emotional processes that contribute to distress across presentations. This allows therapists to work with anxiety, depression, panic, obsessive thinking, emotional avoidance, and other emotional disorders using one coherent treatment framework.
Whether you work primarily with anxiety, depression, or clients presenting with multiple co-occurring difficulties, the Unified Protocol offers a practical framework for understanding and treating emotional disorders without relying on multiple diagnosis-specific protocols.
By the End of This Course, You'll Learn How To:
Understand the emotional processes that contribute to anxiety, depression, and related emotional disorders
Develop transdiagnostic case formulations that focus on emotional functioning rather than diagnostic categories alone
Identify patterns of emotional avoidance and emotion-driven behaviours that maintain distress
Help clients build emotional awareness and respond more flexibly to difficult emotions
Apply the core treatment modules of the Unified Protocol, including mindful emotional awareness, cognitive flexibility, behavioural change, interoceptive exposure, and emotion exposure
Use a single evidence-based framework to treat co-occurring emotional disorders
Apply the Unified Protocol across a range of emotional disorders and clinical presentations
Whether you are new to CBT or looking to expand your existing CBT skills, this course will help you develop confidence applying the Unified Protocol across a range of emotional disorders and co-occurring presentations.
A Learning Experience That Suits You
The Unified Protocol is best understood through application. Rather than learning concepts in isolation, you'll see how the model is applied throughout treatment through therapy demonstrations, clinical examples, practical exercises, and guidance from David Barlow and Todd Farchione.
You'll learn through:
A structured six-week learning journey that builds understanding and skills step-by-step
Therapy demonstrations that follow clients through assessment, case conceptualisation, and treatment
Practical guidance for implementing each module of the Unified Protocol in clinical practice
Exercises and downloadable worksheets designed to support clinical implementation
Direct access to Todd Farchione through the course forum, where you can ask questions and discuss challenges that arise in practice
Is This Course Right For You?
This course is suitable for psychologists, therapists, counsellors, social workers, mental health professionals, health professionals, and coaches who want a practical framework for working across anxiety, depression, and related emotional disorders.
It is also valuable for health services, clinics, and training programs seeking a shared treatment framework that can be applied across a wide range of emotional disorders and co-occurring presentations.
The course includes 12 CE/CME hours and six weeks of access with expert support.
Course Overview
Course Modules
Week 1 : Development of the Unified Protocol
Section one
Introduction to the course
Section two
The development of the Unified Protocol
Section three
Transdiagnostic approaches and targets
Section four
Nature of emotional disorders
Section five
Basic principles underlying treatment
Section six
Assessment and case conceptualization
Section seven
Summary and quiz
Week 2: Maintaining Motivation, Goal Setting and Understanding Emotions
Section one
Introduction to the week
Section two
Motivational enhancement
Section three
Understanding emotion and building emotional awareness
Section four
The three component model of emotion
Section five
ARC and tracking emotions
Section six
Quiz questions
Week 3: Mindful Emotion Awareness and Cognitive Flexibility
Section one
Introduction to the week
Section two
Mindful emotion awareness
Section three
Cognitive flexibility
Section four
Quiz questions
Week 4: Countering Emotional Behaviors and Interoceptive Exposure
Section one
Introduction to the week
Section two
Emotion avoidance
Section three
Emotion-driven behaviors
Section four
Interoceptive exposure
Section five
Symptom induction exercise
Section six
Summary and quiz questions
Week 5: Emotion Exposure
Section one
What is exposure?
Section two
Emotion exposure
Section three
Blocks and barriers
Section four
Quiz questions
Week 6: Relapse Prevention and Looking to the Future
Section one
Relapse prevention
Section two
Evaluation and lack of progress
Section three
Review of key concepts
Section four
Ending treatment
Section six
Summary and quiz questions