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Free online course

Understanding Anxiety, Depression and CBT



  • Access to the course for its duration + 14 days, starting from when you join
  • No certificate


  • Unlimited access to the course for as long as it exists on FutureLearn
  • A Certificate of Achievement when you complete the course

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Understanding Anxiety, Depression and CBT

Why join the course?


This five week course will improve your understanding and knowledge around depression and anxiety, dispel some common myths about these disorders, and introduce you to a leading, effective treatment for both disorders, called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (or ‘CBT’ for short).

Understanding depression and anxiety

Getting to grips with depression and anxiety is a learning journey. In order to fully understand these difficulties we first need to understand how we process and make sense of the world around us, and how our emotional state may play an active role in this process. During the first week, we will explore this in more detail and there will be opportunities to consolidate your learning with a number of relevant practical activities.

We will then look at depression and anxiety in turn, and will consider: how these disorders differ from ‘normal’ emotional states, highlight associated signs and symptoms, and explore some of the factors which may be responsible for maintaining these difficulties using a cognitive behavioural framework.

The final two weeks will be devoted to illustrating how CBT can be used to treat depression and anxiety. Each week you’ll have the opportunity to engage in activities to help you apply the knowledge you gain on the course. There will be information to download, and interviews with experts and patients to help you understand more about these common disorders and one of the ways in which they can be successfully treated.

It is important to emphasise that this online course is not intended to be a self-help ‘treatment’ for anyone experiencing anxiety or depression, nor can the information within it be used to formally ‘diagnose’ yourself or anyone else displaying symptoms of anxiety or depression. If you are concerned about yourself or someone else, you should in the first instance consult your primary healthcare professional. If you are feeling low or suicidal, or simply need someone to talk to, you can contact the Samaritans - a 24 hour listening service on 08457 90 90 90 or . If you are taking this course from outside of the UK and Ireland, then you can contact Befrienders Worldwide ( who offer emotional support worldwide.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 8 secondsHello, and welcome to this online course in understanding cognitive behaviour therapy, anxiety, and depression. My name is Shirley Reynolds. I'm Director of the Charlie Waller Institute here at the University of Reading. The course is really aimed for a very wide audience. So this includes people who might want to seek therapy for themselves, their family and friends, or professionals who are interested in learning a little bit more about CBT and how it works. It's important to say at this point, though, that this is not a substitute for professional therapy. Over the next five weeks, we're going to examine what cognitive behaviour therapy is, how it works, and most importantly, how it helps people with anxiety and depression.

Skip to 0 minutes and 48 seconds And we're also going to meet some therapists and their clients who are going to tell us about their experiences of CBT. We look forward to welcoming you.

What topics will you cover?

  • Week 1 provided an introduction to how we perceive the world around us and how this relates to the Cognitive Behavioural approach to anxiety and depression. It explored how CBT can be delivered and the types of difficulties if can help.
  • Week 2 looked at depression within a CBT framework, exploring what depression is (and is not) as well as highlighting commonly held myths and stereotypes around depression.
  • Week 3 explored anxiety within a CBT framework. It covered the function and positive role of ‘normal’ anxiety exploring the difference between ‘normal’ anxiety and anxiety disorders.
  • Week 4 focused on how behaviour changes in anxiety and depression, how these changes can maintain difficulties and how CBT techniques are used in therapy to address them.
  • Week 5 focused on ‘cognitions’ or thoughts; specifically the types of thoughts which commonly occur in anxiety and depression, how they maintain difficulties and what CBT techniques are used in therapy to address them.

When would you like to start?

  • Date to be announced

What will you achieve?

  • Describe the key signs and symptoms of depression and identify how a depressive disorder differs from simply feeling low or down
  • Describe how a depressive disorder is diagnosed and identify an appropriate assessment tool
  • Describe the key signs and symptoms of the most frequently occurring anxiety disorders and identify how anxiety disorders differ from simply feeling worried or nervous
  • Describe how anxiety disorders are diagnosed and identify an appropriate assessment tool
  • Identify the most common stereotypes surrounding anxiety and depression and evaluate them on the basis of current knowledge
  • Describe how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can be delivered and identify the types of difficulties that it can help with
  • Summarise how what we know about perception (making sense of the world around us) can help us to understand the CBT approach better
  • Identify the key components of a Cognitive Behavioural approach to understanding anxiety and depression
  • Describe how specific kinds of behaviours and thought pattern can maintain difficulties in anxiety and depression and identify key CBT techniques which are used to address these in therapy

Who is the course for?

This beginner’s course is aimed at anyone with an interest in mental illness generally, and anxiety and depression in particular. This may include:

• those who are currently experiencing or have previously experienced emotional difficulties,

• family and friends of those who are experiencing emotional difficulties,

• primary (or other) healthcare professionals who have a frontline role in detecting mental health difficulties and offering appropriate support and guidance to those affected.

Who will you learn with?

Michelle Lee


Shirley Reynolds


Who developed the course?

Buy a personalised, digital and printed certificate and transcript


Certificate of Achievement + transcript £49.00

Statement of Participation £34.00

Estimate prices in preferred currency

Charges to your account will be made in GBP. Prices in local currency are provided as a convenience and are only an estimate based on current exchange rates.