Testimonials
To see what others thought of our great training, browse through some the many complimentary customer testimonials we receive.
We will add to and update this page as time goes on, if you become a course delgate you might even see your own thoughts here in the future.
Only specific Personality disorder & risk testimonials for now, more comments are being gathered for your viewing and will be available shortly
Core clinical skills
How to Assess Risk
Julie McKenzie. Social Worker"Yet again, another excellent course. Well presented, well balanced and interesting. Course very relevant to my post as practitioner in a community mental health setting. Thanks again!"
Frances Fullarton. Social Worker"Well presented and very useful tools for working with people. Do not know where the time goes to on these courses."
Mary Francey. Local Manager"A very enjoyable and highly interesting day. Information presented in a meaningful and constructive manner. The use of humour was appropriate. Enjoyed the quiz. A good way to reinforce learning."
Marianne Kilgour. APO Community Care"Extremely well presented and informative course. Being able to access update DICES tools on the internet is something that has never been offered to me on any other course. Very helpful in recognising risks and would highly recommend APT courses."
Colin Thomson. Team Leader"Again a very informative day involving delivery of factual and theoretical information. The case examples and group discussions allowed us to see how the assessments could be used in day to day practice."
Brian Walker. Team Leader, Community Care Team"Very enjoyable course that left one with practical, easy to apply tools to take into the workplace. It also offered a way of formalising/evidencing everyday practice."
Edmond Behan. Social Worker"Content and presentation excellent."
Elaine Luke. Senior Social Work Practitioner"Brilliant content and learning. Well presented – goals achieved without feeling pressured. Comfortable atmosphere to ask questions."
Margaret Hall. Senior Practitioner"Again a very informative day involving delivery of factual and theoretical information. The case examples and group discussions allowed us to see how the assessments could be used in day to day practice."
Norma Bell. Mental Health Officer"Good overview of a complex topic – the DICES forms help focus thinking on relevant factors to assessment and management."
Anne Dewar. Senior Social Worker"Thoroughly enjoyable and well presented. The course was pitched at a level most appropriate to Mental Health Officers. I look forward to any future courses given by APT. Thanks."
Eileen Fleming. Social Worker"Excellent way to look at balanced way of assessing risk."
Personality disorder
What is personality disorder
Sarah Ruston. Forensic Psychologist"I thoroughly enjoyed the training today which was clearly presented and encouraged useful debate and discussion. I feel very motivated after today’s introduction to personality disorder to learning more about diagnosis and importantly the way in which I can manage and support clients, staff and myself in this work. I particularly enjoyed the use of personal examples and reference to useful articles and books which I am keen to make use of. Very energetic and interesting presentation. Thank you."
Mandy Wright. Principal Psychologist"Very relaxed, enjoyable and informative – very applicable to the population I work with."
Rebecca Jamison. Principal Psychologist"Very informative have gained a good understanding of what PD is. Enjoyed discussion around cases – found this particularly helpful – and personal experiences of tutor. Enjoyed quiz, feel like I’ve learnt the material."
T. Murray. Psychologist"Thoroughly enjoyed todays training. Gave clear, concise information relating to PD. Highly relevant to current position."
Caitriona Higgins. Psychologist"As my own knowledge of personality disorder is not expansive, I felt the course provided an excellent introduction to the different types of personality disorder; the difficulties it presents and the range of treatment options."
Fiona McQuaid. Psychologist"The material was easily understood and presented clearly. Very enjoyable!"
Kerri Hunter. Forensic Psychologist"An enjoyable day – examples of real life cases were interesting and useful."
Colin Thomson. Team Leader"Very well presented and informative training day … Helped classify a definition of ‘what is personality disorder’ for me, thanks."
Lesley Campbell. Team Leader"Excellent day, good mix of slides/exercises, even the quiz was enjoyable … Real opportunity to learn and presenter very well able indeed to take questions, expand and explore the issues."
Marianne Kilgour. Community Care"Course was excellent from beginning to end. Difficult topic was explained extremely clearly and able to understand. The presentation style held the groups attention 100%. Very relevant to be helped to view this service user group in a more positive light. Left the day feeling energised."
Norma Bell. Mental Health Officer"The course material and tutor presentation was clear, concise and understandable. It has opened a broader understanding of this much used term and held with it a thread to the notion of treatability."
Frances Fullarton. Social Worker"Very well presented course. Gave a lot of food for thought. Humorously presented."
Eileen Fleming. Social Worker"Excellent and informative course. Presented in a way which made constructive use of the input by participants. The fun element made this enjoyable and helped the learning. Provided some clarity to an otherwise confusing area."
Margaret Hall. Senior Practitioner"I found the course to be very informative and I certainly learned more about personality disorder and issues surrounding the treatment and diagnosis. I liked the learning methods and the combination of factual information and discussion in small groups/quiz at the end of the day. The workbook is a great reference for the future and also contains further reading material."
Ian Short. Team Leader"I thoroughly enjoyed the course and believe it has benefited myself particularly in regards to my role of Mental Health Officer. The course was presented in a professional manner but in a relaxed atmosphere which allowed for discussion and participation. I believe I have benefited from the course."
Linda Currie. Social Worker"The material was very informative and will be used as reference in the future. The presentation was first class and will be able to impart the information that met the needs of the group as a whole. Very refreshing and stimulating."
Ann McDill. Senior Practitioner"Excellent presentation with total contribution of all in attendance. Thought provoking, provided a good base for work with clients. Certainly not boring."
Assessment & case conceptualisation
Tracey Murray. Psychologist"Very interesting and thoroughly enjoyable. Good interactional learning."
Kerri Hunter. Forensic Psychologist"Again a very interesting day and the real case examples were very useful. The large group exercise was also helpful and generated good discussion."
Rebecca Jamison. Principal Psychologist"Found this course very useful in terms of learning more about assessment and case conceptualisation. Enjoyed the video, found it beneficial in demonstrating the 6 steps. Thought the style of the presenter was very warm and engaging – and thought it was relaxing and not threatening. Looking forward to the next stage of training."
Mandy Wright. Principal Psychologist"Again a very interesting day and the real case examples were very useful. The large group exercise was also helpful and generated good discussion."
Caitriona Higgins. Psychologist"Today’s course provided a very informative insight into assessment and treatment of PD. Role plays also very helpful and collaborative decision making and discussion re diagnosis and treatment."
Marianne Kilgour. Community Care"Course was excellent from beginning to end. Difficult topic was explained extremely clearly and able to understand. The presentation style held the groups attention 100%. Very relevant to be helped to view this service user group in a more positive light. Left the day feeling energised."
Norma Bell. Mental Health Officer"The course material and tutor presentation was clear, concise and understandable. It has opened a broader understanding of this much used term and held with it a thread to the notion of treatability."
Frances Fullarton. Social Worker"Very well presented course. Gave a lot of food for thought. Humorously presented."
Eileen Fleming. Social Worker"Excellent and informative course. Presented in a way which made constructive use of the input by participants. The fun element made this enjoyable and helped the learning. Provided some clarity to an otherwise confusing area."
Margaret Hall. Senior Practitioner"I found the course to be very informative and I certainly learned more about personality disorder and issues surrounding the treatment and diagnosis. I liked the learning methods and the combination of factual information and discussion in small groups/quiz at the end of the day. The workbook is a great reference for the future and also contains further reading material."
Ian Short. Team Leader"I thoroughly enjoyed the course and believe it has benefited myself particularly in regards to my role of Mental Health Officer. The course was presented in a professional manner but in a relaxed atmosphere which allowed for discussion and participation. I believe I have benefited from the course."
Linda Currie. Social Worker"The material was very informative and will be used as reference in the future. The presentation was first class and will be able to impart the information that met the needs of the group as a whole. Very refreshing and stimulating."
Ann McDill. Senior Practitioner"Excellent presentation with total contribution of all in attendance. Thought provoking, provided a good base for work with clients. Certainly not boring."
Julie McKenzie. Social Worker"Excellent, very enjoyable and relevant to my jo. I feel more equipped to work with my clients who have a diagnosis of personality disorder."
Ann McDill. Senior Practitioner"Enjoyed the variety of presentation styles. Lots of information throughout the day which was reinforced by the quiz. As a newly qualified Mental Health Office this course was particularly useful as a learning tool"
Treatment Approaches for Personality Disorder.
Luke Gotu. Staff Nurse"I found the course very useful for the patients I work with on the ward and would like to attend more courses."
Charan Bains. Social Worker"The course was well presented and very informative."
Ashley Perryman. CPN"Good review of knowledge and use of CBT in Personality Disorder."
Course deligate"Excellent course. Knowledgeable tutor, great examples. Will definitely use these approaches."
Course deligate"Excellent presentation. I liked every bit of it."
Course deligate"Relaxed, open approach that led to group discussion. Appreciation of people’s different experiences/opinions."
Course deligate"I found that the course was very informative. The content was relevant and presented in a way that highlighted its practical implications. Additionally the instructor was engaging and knowledgeable."
Course deligate"Informative and will help a lot with reflective practice."
Course deligate"The course was well planned hence quite enjoyable. Group participation made the participants understand the course better. My approach to people with personality disorders will now be different."
Forming and Maintaining Good Working Relationships with People with Personality Disorder
Kerri Hunter. Forensic Psychologist"A very enjoyable day – small group/practical exercises were particularly useful. Thanks."
T. Murray. Psychologist"Very interesting and the practice sessions have ensured learning has been not just theoretical."
Mandy Wright. Principal Psychologist"Discussion groups and small group exercises good practice opportunity. Video clip acts as good demonstration of skill in action. Another very useful session. Many thanks."
Fiona McQuaid. Psychologist"I really enjoyed today – the group exercises were useful and made me think."
Paul Gallagher. Psychologist"A very useful insight into structure techniques that are immediately applicable in my work setting."
Sarah Ruston. Forensic Psychologist"Thoroughly enjoyed small group work and real-life example via medium of video recording."
Sarah Ruston. Forensic Psychologist"Very enjoyable and applicable to my role as a forensic psychologist. In particular the advice on how best to work with specific forms of personality disorder. The use of personal examples throughout the training has been extremely beneficial."
Tracey Murray. Psychologist"Interesting and relevant in terms of clientele."
Mandy Wright. Principal Psychologist"Another very useful session presented in an open and approachable manner."
Jen Egan. Project Worker"Course was delivered exceptionally well. It was all relevant and I will take this back to the workplace."
Claire Hyland. Social Worker"I found the material interesting and relevant. It helps me to re-focus my work with this client group and look for alternative ways to make a difference."
Kerry Geoghegan. Project Worker"I have found the course very informative and very enjoyable."
Robert Harley. Senior Practitioner"First class learning experience in a stimulating and safe environment."
Kenneth Lloyd. Approved Social Worker"Today has been an excellent introduction into this very complex area of work. It has given me some clear pointers and models on how to work with these people who have personality disorder."
Tracy Parsells. CPN"Trainer presented course very well, everything was nicely organised. Venue lovely – good selection of meals etc … Good use of a variety of teaching methods, role play, quiz, group work etc."
Menna Jones. Social Worker"Useful, beneficial course, relevant to my own case load. Useful information which will inform future practice. Enlightening to concentrate on positive ways of working rather than focusing on the difficulties presented."
Andrew Lloyd. CPN"Very enjoyable, interesting course. Good mix of ‘group work’ with slides. Useful in my day to day work, certainly with other colleagues."
Gary James. Social Worker"Use of intervention methods will prove useful within my diverse case load and in particular within area of substance misuse/self harm – interesting use of DBT and Motivational Interviewing."
Michelle Thomas-Luisi. Senior Social Work Practitioner"I really enjoyed the course and the model introduced for working with personality disorder was very useful for me to use in practice. I felt particularly challenged within the element of validation and it made me think about my responses/actions when working with these individuals. I will use this model and will monitor the progress and effectiveness of its use."
Jan Jones. Social Worker"This course has been very informative. It has given me insight and knowledge to improve my work skills when working with people who suffer from personality disorder. I shall feel more confident about work with these clients in future."
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Note: these are general comments regarding our CBT work
Alicia Gibbs-Cox. Team Leader"The most attractive quality of this course is that it can be applied to my own life and thus in my opinion makes it more meaningful and user friendly for use with clients."
Mark Sullivan. Project Worker"Thoroughly enjoyed this very relevant course. Can take back a lot from this and use it directly in my workplace. Extremely well presented with plenty of humour and variety. Resources excellent, handbook user friendly."
Wendy McClean. Nurse"The whole course was enjoyable, interesting. The handbook will be useful and easy to pick up and refer to. No criticisms."
Peter Mozkey. Clinical Nurse Specialist"I would recommend this course to colleagues. Time well spent away from the clinical setting, time to reflect on practice and learn and refresh. What I have learnt will help me personally and professionally. Excellent work shop."
Joanne Mears. Community Psychiatric Nurse"Well structured, with clear supporting material. Good interactive sessions with excellent mixture of practice and discussion. Well timed, at no point did we feel time pressured. Tutor clearly was credible – knew his stuff, able to discuss personal experiences with clients and draw relevance. Good opportunity to share experiences within a multi professional group. This has been a very positive experience for me."
Sanchia Silk. Team Leader"Course facilitator inspiring. Kept people motivated and interested. Subject matter of course very relevant to area of work. Subject matter presented in a way which was accessible to all levels of staff."
Johnny Higgins. Activities Co-ordinator"Very interesting, enjoyable and excellent presentation. I have really enjoyed these three days and look forward to attending more courses in the future. I am looking forward to utilising my new skills at work. Very enjoyable indeed."
Poppy Spragne, Counselling Psychologist"Highly structured course, well organised, so coherent and easy to follow. Facilitated very well with great humility, patience and encouragements."
Elinor Cocks. Staff Nurse"Clearly explained, interesting and enjoyable. Very relevant to my area of work."
Elizabeth Rose. Day Faculty Manager"It was a great course. Very intensive and challenging. This has to rate as being one of the best courses I have been on in a long time … Fantastic, a very humanistic tool to work with."
F Costigan. Dual Diagnosis Nurse"Would definitely recommend course to my colleagues."
Joanne Stuart. Assistant Psychologist"After all the years of learning bits and pieces about CBT I finally understand it. Wonderfully taught, I enjoyed it very much. Thank you."
Alison Welfare. Mental Health Nurse"A very thought out, planned and presented course. Which was made very manageable. I liked the way the 3 days fitted in with each other and I felt as though I was able to fully grasp and practice the concepts of CBT."
M Faulkwer. Occupational Therapist"Most stimulating course I have been on. My interest and attention did not waver at all over the 3 days. Excellent pace, interesting case studies. Really good food for thought, both on a personal and professional basis. Now have lots of things that are really workable to take away with me. Thanks!
Nicholas Gilbert. Senior Occupational Therapist"An extraordinarily well presented and coherent course which provided the opportunity to consolidate/develop theoretical knowledge and experiment with some clinical applications. It was positive to build a growing awareness of the application of CBT with my client group and an excellent opportunity to work on case studies in groups and role plays."
Edward Page. Occupational Therapist"I found the course very interesting and relevant both on a professional and personal level."
Glenys Bowley. Community Mental Health Technical Instructor"Left course feeling much more confident and looking forward to using CBT with my client."
A Shearer. Social Work"I enjoyed the course very much. It was both informative and applicable to the field of mental health in which I am engaged. I feel that the course provided a useful framework within which work with clients can take place. The skills that were imparted could be usefully used in my everyday life."
A Jones. RMN"Excellent – really well presented, very educational, though-provoking and useful. The trainer was excellent at using good examples of practical ways to use the techniques with real clients in real situations."
Andrew Holmes. Community Mental Health Nurse"I very much enjoyed the course, it has helped me to reflect on my own practice and I perceive I will be a better practitioner as a result. The course book and handouts are useful and will help me take my newly acquired skills into practice. Very enjoyable, very relevant and rewarding, I have no criticisms what so ever."
Emma Goldfarb. Health Psychologist"Extremely well organised and presented, clear and precise with lots of opportunity for questions and practice. I have learnt a huge amount and feel excited at the prospect of using it in my work."
Jessica Dixon. Occupational Therapist"Very interesting course and very relevant to me in work – it has inspired me and I can’t wait to go and try out some of these new techniques!!!"
Psychosis
Note: these are general comments regarding our Psychosis work
Sarah-Jane Findlay. Staff Nurse"Very interesting 3 days – course delivered by a true expert and professional."
Sheila MacLeod. Senior Staff Nurse"I very much enjoyed the professional style of the tutor. He presented a wealth of information in an engaging manner. The research based evidence from around the world was interesting and stimulated discussion as did the quiz format used."
Maxine Sacks. Clinical Psychologist"Fantastic three days, well chosen content and well presented material. I enjoyed the different ways of working and different modes of presentation and the way interest and energy levels roles over the three days. Very relevant and useful for me and an extremely enjoyable experience."
Amanda Connell. Staff Nurse"I thoroughly enjoyed this relevant and well presented course. I got a lot from the use of lectures, discussions and role-plays and I am continuing to think about how this experience will positively influence my practice. I feel confident that the course will benefit many clients wellbeing. The course achieved all my expectations and more. Keep going!"
Tony White. GP Liaison CPN"As usual a superior APT course. Really enjoyed the humour of the tutor combined with his obvious clinical skills and practicality. I have actually stopped applying for any non APT courses as they far exceed the content and presentation of any other NHS course I have been on in my 20+ years experience of psychiatry. Many thanks."
Michael Cummines. Criminal Justice Liaison"Course gave good insight into attitude and philosophy into Early Intervention work. Provided some useful skills which can be translated into everyday practice. Excellent."
Cindy Foley. Team Leader"Excellent APT course as usual. Very competent presenter. Enjoyed it all. Very helpful and relevant, useful extras re references to research materials and protocols. Thank you."
Jacqueline Oliver Hamilton. CMHN"Excellent, material needed in my place of work. Excellent presenter."
Orii McDermott. Therapist"I found the course informative and empowering. There were lots of ‘hints and tips’ in practical terms and I’ve enjoyed thinking about the service as a whole."
Laura Lewis. Child Worker"I found the material from this course easy to understand, very interesting and presented in a clear and entertaining manner. I feel I have learnt a great deal of useful tips and strategies for better understanding and engaging with service users."
Janine Davies. Registered Nurse"I have really felt that this course was facilitated well by the facilitator. I felt it was useful to recap over important information on Early Intervention and how to implement this learnt information into my area of work."
Ranjini Rao. Senior House Officer"The course in itself was very interactive useful and the presenter was very articulate and informative."
Sean Nugent. Occupational Therapist"The structure was very good as it helped consolidate what we learned i.e. quizzes and role play. Good balance of slide information and discussion … Really enjoyed it, didn’t notice the day go by."
Gary Tebble. Assistant Psychologist"Good presentations illustrated with relevant examples from clinical practice. Presenter had excellent grasp of research."
A Sams. CPN"Clear and concise. Good practical tips."
Julie Ho. Graduate Mental Health Worker"Learnt a great deal and tutor was a very enthusiastic psychologist with wide knowledge of early intervention. Excellent at providing research to our practice."
Zita Currie. Training Consultant"Very interesting course – I have gained a lot of knowledge that will assist me with my job."
Gwen Smith. Clinical Nurse Specialist"Very useful information – enjoyable and appropriate … I will be sharing this experience with my other team members in order to benefit our patients."
Amy Goodson. CMHN"Thoroughly enjoyed the course. Encouraged people to think outside of the ‘norm’ and that this was OK to do. Updated and reinforced knowledge but also provided new knowledge. Good informative approach."
Kate Hardy. Nurse"Very enjoyable, informative and educative. Has energised me to try and be more effective in my practice again! Given me hope. Thank you."
Alison Madeley. Substance Misuse Worker"Excellent – lots of information given. I have a more confident approach to this area now … The trainer was excellent, his approach, friendliness and knowledge was wonderful. An excellent 3 days."
Michelle Gough. Mental Health Practitioner"It was educational, extremely informative over and above psychosis."