Psychotherapy: A 5-Step Approach to Case Conceptualization

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Event type Intermediate level

Webinar, 2:00pm – 4:00pm UK time
Can't make it, don't worry, book now as delegates have exclusive access to recordings for 90 days after the event, together with slides. You must book before the event starts, there are no tickets after the event starts.

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Bryce Mcleod
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This workshop will show you how to build clear, structured case conceptualisations that link assessment to treatment planning in child and adolescent mental health. Led by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Bryce McLeod, you’ll learn a practical, evidence-based 5-step approach that will develop your clinical decisions and help you deliver more personalised care.

Register for the Event & Pricing

Sign up at this link or on the Book Now buttons, and complete the form that follows. You’ll then receive an email confirmation and a link to the webinar, plus we’ll send you a calendar reminder nearer the time.

Delegates will have exclusive access to recordings for 90 days after the event, together with slides. Plus you will get a personalised CPD/CME certificate via email.

  • ACAMH Members MUST login to book onto the webinar in order to access this webinar and get a CPD/CME certificate.
  • Non-members: this is a great time to join ACAMH, take a look at what we have to offer, and make the saving on these sessions.
Ticket Type Price
ACAMH Members (Online, Concession) EARLY BIRD £39 (until 09/09/26 then £59) (Join now and save)
ACAMH Learn Account Holders EARLY BIRD £59 (until 09/09/26 then £79)
Non Members EARLY BIRD £79 (until 09/09/26 then £79)
ACAMH Undergraduate/Postgraduate Members £5
LMIC Members Free
Don’t forget as a charity any surplus made is reinvested back as we work to our vision of ‘Sharing best evidence, improving practice’, and our mission to ‘Improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 0-25’.

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About the Session

Psychotherapy without case conceptualization is like a journey without a map. Evidence-based practice is an approach to clinical decision-making that combines the best available evidence, clinician expertise, and client characteristics and preferences to guide patient care. Developing a case conceptualization informed by theoretical and empirical literature is a vital therapeutic skill that is fundamental to evidence-based practice. Adopting a scientific approach to case conceptualization can guide clinical decisions and enable clinicians to use research and clinical information effectively.

Case conceptualization involves creating a comprehensive picture of a client by collecting data to generate hypotheses about the causes, antecedents, and maintaining factors of a client’s problems within a biopsychosocial context. It guides not only the initial stages of intake and getting to know a patient but also the entire course of treatment. This workshop will introduce a case conceptualization model to guide the treatment process from intake to termination. This model employs a hypothesis-testing approach informed by evidence-based assessment. We will explain the core principles of evidence-based assessment and the benefits of science-informed case conceptualization. Additionally, we will discuss practical applications in clinical care and present examples based on this model.

Learning objectives:

  • To understand the practical and theoretical benefits of following a science-informed approach to case conceptualization.
  • To understand the 5 steps to case conceptualization.
  • To understand how using case conceptualization can guard against errors in clinical judgement.

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About the Speakers

Bryce McLeod

Dr. Bryce D. McLeod, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist who has authored or co-authored over 130 scientific articles, book chapters, and books. His publications include Child Anxiety Disorders: A Family-Based Treatment Manual for Practitioners (Norton) and Diagnostic and Behavioral Assessment in Children and Adolescents: A Clinical Guide (Guilford). He has served on local, national, and international committees focused on evidence-based practices for children and adolescents with social, emotional, and behavioral issues. His research interests include case conceptualization, youth diagnostic and behavioral assessment, treatment fidelity research, and provider training and supervision.

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FAQs on the Topic

1. What is case conceptualization in psychotherapy?

Case conceptualization is the process of building a comprehensive picture of a client by gathering information and forming hypotheses about the causes, triggers, and maintaining factors of their difficulties within a biopsychosocial context. It guides clinical decisions from the first intake session through to the end of treatment, helping clinicians plan, adjust, and evaluate care rather than working without a clear map.

2. How does case conceptualization differ from diagnosis?

A diagnosis classifies a set of symptoms; a case conceptualization explains them. Diagnosis answers what a client is experiencing, while conceptualization develops a working hypothesis about why the difficulties have arisen and what keeps them going. The two work together: diagnosis informs the picture, but conceptualization is what links assessment information to a coherent, individualised treatment plan.

3. Why is a science-informed approach to case conceptualization important?

Case conceptualization is widely seen as a core part of evidence-based practice, yet it is not always guided by research findings. A science-informed approach draws on theory, evidence-based assessment, and clinical expertise together, treating the conceptualization as a set of hypotheses to be tested. This keeps clinical decisions grounded in evidence rather than assumption.

4. How can case conceptualization reduce errors in clinical judgement?

Clinical judgement is vulnerable to bias, such as fixing on an early impression or over-weighting recent information. Treating a conceptualization as a testable hypothesis, supported by evidence-based assessment, prompts clinicians to seek disconfirming information and revise their thinking as new data emerge. Structured, evidence-informed formulation acts as a safeguard against premature or inaccurate conclusions.

5. What are the five steps to case conceptualization?

Most structured models move through similar stages: gathering assessment information, identifying the main problems, forming hypotheses about what is causing and maintaining them, using those hypotheses to plan treatment, and monitoring progress to test and refine the picture over time.

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