The Feeling Safe Programme
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The Feeling Safe Programme: Animated Explainer
About the Feeling Safe Programme
The Feeling Safe Programme is a new cognitive-behavioural treatment for patients with psychosis. Developed with over a decade’s research, it is the most effective psychological treatment for persecutory delusions. Half of patients have recovery in their persecutory delusion with the Feeling Safe Programme. The main outcome randomised controlled trial is published in the Lancet Psychiatry.
The Feeling Safe Programme: Illustrated Explainer
Transcript for The Feeling Safe Programme Illustrated Explainer
THE FEELING SAFE PROGRAMME 5-Day Training Course
We are very pleased to announce this year's dates for clinician online training in the Feeling Safe programme.
The Feeling Safe Programme is a cognitive-behavioural treatment for patients with psychosis. It is the most effective psychological treatment for persecutory delusions.
The design principles underpinning Feeling Safe are described in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
The main outcome randomised controlled trial is published in the Lancet Psychiatry.
Building on the success of previous courses, we are running the training for clinicians to deliver the Feeling Safe Programme again in 2025:
- A five-day online course;
- Therapy manuals provided;
- And taught by Professor Daniel Freeman, Dr Felicity Waite, Dr Louise Isham, and Dr Rowan Diamond.
The course will be run 9.30am-5pm (UTC+0) on the following consecutive Thursdays: 30th October 2025, 6th November 2025, 13th November 2025, 20th November 2025, and 27th November 2025.
Venue: Online
Cost: £550 early bird/£600 standard
Please note: The course is only open to clinicians.
How to book
Book online for The Feeling Safe Programme 5-day training course.
For all queries - or to arrange invoice payment - please contact Ginny Evans at feeling.safe@psy.ox.ac.uk
The Feeling Safe Programme References
Therapy design principles:
Freeman, D. (2024). Developing psychological treatments for psychosis. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 224(5), 147-149.
Theoretical rationale:
Freeman, D. (2016). Persecutory delusions: a cognitive perspective on understanding and treatment. Lancet Psychiatry, 3, 685-692.
Freeman, D. (2024). Understanding and treating persecutory delusions. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 50(2), 233-235.
Presence of causal factors:
Freeman, D., Taylor, K., Molodynski, A., & Waite, F. (2019). Treatable clinical intervention targets for patients with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 211, 44-50.
Worry:
Freeman D, Dunn G, Startup H, Pugh K, Cordwell J, Mander H, Cernis, E., Wingham, G., Shirvell, K., & Kingdon, D. (2015) Effects of cognitive behaviour therapy for worry on persecutory delusions in patients with psychosis (WIT): a parallel, single-blind, randomised controlled trial with a mediation analysis. Lancet Psychiatry, 2, 305-313.
Negative beliefs about self:
Freeman, D., Pugh, K., Dunn, G., Evans, N., Sheaves, B., Waite, F., Cernis, E., Lister, R., & Fowler, D. (2014). An early Phase II randomised controlled trial testing the effect on persecutory delusions of using CBT to reduce negative cognitions about the self: the potential benefits of enhancing self confidence. Schizophrenia Research, 160, 186-192.
Sleep dysfunction:
Freeman, D., Waite, F., Startup, H., Myers, E., Lister, E., McInerney, J., Harvey, A., Geddes, J., Zaiwalla, Z., Luengo-Fernandez, R., Foster, R., Clifton, L, & Yu, L-M. (2015). Efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy for sleep improvement in patients with persistent delusions and hallucinations (BEST): a prospective, assessor-blind, randomised controlled pilot study. Lancet Psychiatry, 2, 975-983.
Waite, F., Myers, E., Harvey, A., Espie, C., Startup, H., Sheaves, B., & Freeman, D. (2016). Treating sleep problems in patients with schizophrenia. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 44, 273-287.
Freeman, D., Sheaves, B., Goodwin, G., Yu, L-M., Nickless, A., Harrison, P., Emsley, R., Luik, A., Foster, R., Wadekar, V., Hinds, C., Gumley, A., Jones, R., Lightman, S., Jones, S., Bentall, R., Kinderman, P., Rowse, G., Brugha, T., Blagrove, M., Gregory, A., Fleming, L., Walklet, E., Glazebrook, Davies, E., Hollis, C., Haddock, G., John, B., Coulson, M., Fowler, D., Pugh, K., Cape, J., Mosely, P., Brown, G., Hughes, C., Obonsawin, M., Coker, S., Watkins, E., Schwannauer, M., MacMahon, K., Siriwaardena, A., Espie, C. (2017). The effects of improving sleep on mental health (OASIS): a randomised controlled trial with mediation analysis. Lancet Psychiatry, 4, 749-758.
Defence behaviours:
Freeman, D., Bradley, J., Antley, A., Bourke, E., DeWeever, N., Evans, N., Černis, E., Sheaves, B., Waite, F., Dunn, G., Slater, M., & Clark, D. (2016). Virtual reality in the treatment of persecutory delusions.: a randomised controlled experimental study testing how to reduce delusional conviction. British Journal of Psychiatry, 209, 62-67.
Full treatment case series:
Freeman, D., Bradley, J., Waite, F., Sheaves, B., DeWeever, N., Bourke, E., McInerney, J., Evans, N., Černis, E., Lister, R., Garety, P. & Dunn, G. (2016). Targeting recovery in persistent persecutory delusions: a proof of principle study of a new translational psychological treatment. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 44, 539-552.
Randomised controlled trial:
Freeman, D., Emsley, R., Diamond, R., Collett, N., Bold, E., Chadwick, E., Isham, L., Bird, J., Edwards, D., Kingdon, D., Fitzpatrick, R., Kabir, T., Waite, F., & Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis Trial Study Group (2021). Comparison of a theoretically driven cognitive therapy (the Feeling Safe Programme) with befriending for the treatment of persistent persecutory delusions: a parallel, single-blind, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Psychiatry.