The CORE Programme – An Applied Psychology Course Based on Reality Therapy and Choice Theory

About the CORE Programme

Hello and welcome to the CORE Programme, a comprehensive programme of applied psychology which has been specifically designed to help you make fundamental changes to the way that you experience life by challenging & changing your existing perceptions of reality.

CORE helps you to understand that your day-to-day experience of life is governed by the way you that make sense of what happens around you, rather than those events determining your experience.

Furthermore, the way that you make sense of your experiences is, in turn, governed by your CORE beliefs and values – factors derived from the world you inhabit, the people around you and your own personal evaluations.

These three CORE factors come together to form your own, unique inner-working model of reality.

Because the vast majority of mental health problems are the result of our internal perceptions (and NOT the product of faulty biology), CORE can be highly effective in relieving the emotional distress commonly associated with psychological problems.

The author and psychologist Paul Lee BSc. MSc. has been actively developing the programme over the last 14 years and has combined many of the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Self-Determination Theory with the proven scientific principles described in the Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour Change.

Is CORE Effective?

Clinical research into the efficacy of online counselling and psychotherapy, particularly cognitive-based approaches such as CBT, suggests they can be as effective as face-to-face therapy.

Supporting this position is the research by John Norcross and Michael Lambert (2011) which demonstrates that a full 30% of the effectiveness of ANY change programme is produced by the client-in-therapy with the mode of therapy only contributing 8% of the outcome.

What this means is that it is the client themselves are who responsible for a higher proportion of the outcome of the therapy process (30%) than the therapist (7%), the type of therapy (8%) and the client-counsellor relationship (12%) combined!

In other words, the specific type of therapy plays a much smaller role in bringing about change than the inventors of therapy systems like to claim!

How is This Different to Any Other Change Programme?

The CORE Programme is different because it is built around the proven scientific principles of behaviour change developed by the world’s foremost experts in this field.

In addition to the scientific principles of change, the CORE programme also draws on knowledge derived from Self-Determination Theory and Social Psychological Theory which recognises the importance of the social context in which people live their lives.

In this sense, the principal aim of the CORE programme is to help those wanting to make changes recognise that it is themselves who will ultimately facilitate that change and not something that happens to them due to some magical quality of the therapy process itself.

What’s Involved in the CORE Programme?

The CORE programme focuses attention on how individuals create their own unique and subjective meanings from their experiences based on an understanding of:

• The three CORE beliefs that people use to make sense of their experiences.
• The CORE values that are instilled in people by the social contxet in which they grow-up.
• The CORE strengths common to human beings across all cultures.

Once an understanding of these CORE elements is fully appreciated, the programme then moves onto developing an understanding of how different people develop coping skills and strategies designed to manage adverse situations.

In many cases, these coping strategies (thinking styles, avoidance and compensatory behaviours) may not be as useful as they appear to be and in some instances, can perpetuate problems or even make matters worse!

Once you become aware of any maladaptive coping mechanisms you may be using you will also be in a better position to modify them.

It is through these behavioural changes that you will begin to experience different outcomes and consolidate the changes you want to make.

Finally, CORE helps you to normalise your new behaviours so that they become your default way of managing your environment.

Following the CORE Programme

This version of the CORE Programme is designed to be followed in conjunction with clinical support sessions with Paul or Joan at the Lee Psychology offices in the West Midlands, or alternatively with Paul using ZOOM video sessions remotely.

The full programme takes place over 12 sessions which can be weekly or monthly depending on needs.

You can view the full range of programme options and pricing here.