Bespoke Members
Introduction
Chronic loneliness plays a critical role in the onset, maintenance, and exacerbation of a range of mental health disorders, including depression, social anxiety, psychosis and trauma-related disorders. The relationship between loneliness and mental health difficulties is often bidirectional, with each reinforcing the other. Despite its prevalence and clinical significance, loneliness is frequently under-recognised as a specific treatment target in psychological therapy. Instead, it is often regarded as an untreatable consequence of external circumstances. This represents a missed opportunity. Loneliness is driven and maintained by identifiable psychological processes, including negative interpersonal appraisals (e.g., “People don’t like me”), counterproductive behaviour (e.g., avoidance), and cognitive processes (e.g., hypervigilance to rejection). These psychological processes are highly amenable to cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) which provides clinicians with powerful tools to interrupt these cycles and help clients build, recognise and appreciate meaningful, personally fulfilling relationships.
The event will be equivalent to 2hrs of CPD.
Content
This webinar will provide an update on the evidence regarding psychological therapies for chronic loneliness, including cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). It will introduce a clear, practical, modular CBT framework for addressing the diverse presentations of loneliness across different populations, ages and mental health conditions. Drawing on recent theoretical and clinical developments, participants will learn the principles of how to conceptualise loneliness within this modular CBT approach, develop effective case formulations, and tailor interventions to meet the specific needs of their clients. Participants will gain learn how to use their existing skills in identifying and modifying maladaptive cognitions, addressing avoidance behaviours, and using behavioural experiments to help clients reduce loneliness. By viewing loneliness as a critical transdiagnostic process, clinicians will learn how to enhance recovery and optimise outcomes for clients across mental health disorders.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
1. Discriminate between social isolation and chronic loneliness.
2. Understand the evidence base for psychological therapies addressing loneliness.
3. Understand the principles behind the modular CBT framework for chronic loneliness
4. Apply their existing CBT skills to support clients struggling with chronic loneliness.
Training Modalities
Didactic content, Q&A, video demonstrations
Key References
Cawthorne, T., Käll, A., Bennett, S., Baker, E., Andersson, G., & Shafran, R. (2023). The development and preliminary evaluation of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Chronic Loneliness in Young People. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 51(5), 414-431
Cawthorne, T., Qualter, P., Bennett, S., Käll, A., Andersson, G., & Shafran, R. (2025). Editorial Perspective: How can we develop effective and timely interventions for young people with chronic loneliness?. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 66(5), 767-770.
Käll, A., Shafran, R., Lindegaard, T., Bennett, S., Cooper, Z., Coughtrey, A., & Andersson, G. (2020). A common elements approach to the development of a modular cognitive behavioral theory for chronic loneliness. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88(3), 269.
Hards, E., Loades, M. E., Higson‐Sweeney, N., Shafran, R., Serafimova, T., Brigden, A., ... & Borwick, C. (2022). Loneliness and mental health in children and adolescents with pre‐existing mental health problems: A rapid systematic review. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61(2), 313-334.
About the presenter
Roz Shafran is Emeritus Professor of Translational Psychology at University College London’s Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. She has over 400 publications on the development and evaluation of CBT across disorders and transdiagnostic problems such as loneliness and perfectionism. She pioneered the transdiagnostic approach to eating disorders and the CBT model for perfectionism. Her research has been recognized with several awards, including the inaugural Eric Taylor Award for Translational Research into Practice. She has led and collaborated on numerous grants, including work on the UKRI Loneliness and Mental Health network. In 2025, she became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in recognition of her contribution to the field of psychological science.
Who should attend
Clinicians with CBT experience who wish to expand their skills in applying these techniques to clients experiencing chronic loneliness. Suitable for psychologists, primary care practitioners, counsellors, nurse therapists, and other mental health professionals.