Glasgow Institute for Psychosocial Intervention (GIPSI)

GIPSI is a resource centre for all staff of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. GIPSI has two primary purposes: firstly, to provide training and supervision to staff in psychosocial interventions for people with mental health problems, and secondly to carry out research in psychosocial therapies. The centre trains staff in interventions that are evidence based and fulfil the characteristics of a clinically effective intervention. GIPSI contributes to the Division's aim to meet the challenges identified in the Framework for Mental Health Services and enables practitioners and service providers to meet the objectives of clinical governance. For example GIPSI is at the heart of discussions concerning how the Board will deliver on Delivery for Health and has been influential in a range of key national projects such as the Integrated Care Pathway for depression and borderline personality disorder, Psychological Therapies training development and in other key policy documents.

An important element of GIPSI training initiatives is to encourage staff to engage in continued supervision following completion of training and to help disseminate the use of newly acquired skills into routine clinical practice.

GIPSI has been successful in attracting a considerable amount of grant income from both internal and external sources in order to conduct an extensive programme of research in psychosocial therapies and has developed both large and smaller scale training initiatives.

Our recent and current research has included:

  • MRC funded trial of CBT for men with antisocial personality disorder who were violent
  • MRC –funded projects including self-help for medically unexplained symptoms,
  • Wellcome funded trial of CBT in Borderline Personality Disorder
  • CSO funded Prospective 5 years follow-up of UK patients with borderline personality disorder
  • CSO funded Glasgow Edinburgh first episode psychosis study: how does engagement with services mediate symptomatic outcomes after a first episode of psychosis?
  • MRC funded EDIE-2 clinical trial of Cognitive Therapy for young people at ultra-high risk of developing psychosis.
  • MRC funded study of the use of internet treatment for bulimia in young people


Our current ongoing training initiatives include:

  • The South of Scotland Cognitive Therapy Course.  This offers training in CBT to health service practitioners at Certificate, Diploma and Masters level.