The Professional Doctorate aims to provide high calibre training in child and adolescent psychotherapy, producing psychotherapists who have in depth specialised clinical and academic competence and who will be able to make original contributions to knowledge in the field of child and adolescent psychotherapy.

The range of topics studied will include psychoanalytic theory, techniques of child and adolescent psychotherapy, research methods, clinical governance and other aspects of professional practice in NHS and other public sectors.

The course is undertaken under the joint aegis of the University of East London, the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, the Northern School of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy and the Scottish Institute of Human Relations.

Facilities offered are:

• Teaching and supervision by staff of the largest child psychotherapy training school in the UK (Tavistock) or by staff at the training schools based in Leeds (NSCAP) or Scotland (SIHR).
• Contact with multidisciplinary and multimodal methods of work in child and adolescent mental health.
• Access to one of the most comprehensive collections of literature on psychoanalytic and other mental health paradigms in the UK; available both in the Tavistock library and on the web. NSCAP and SIHR each have a small specialist library on site and remote access to the Tavistock and UEL collections.

Either
An Honours Degree and A Diploma in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies (M7) (University of East London/Tavistock) or equivalent.
Or
A Masters degree in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies UEL/Tavistock or equivalent.

And

In line with the Professional Body (ACP) requirements as set out in the ACP Quality Standards for Training document:

•           An Honours degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies or equivalent OR a Masters in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies, if an Honours Degree is not held 

•           Professional Experience with a wide range of children and adolescents.

•           Personal suitability* to practice as assessed in a) interview** with a senior
member of staff and b) references from employers and including those based on           the student’s performance on the MA/PG Dip in Psychoanalytic Observational           Studies course.

            *The course team approach personal suitability to be admitted to the course to     mean the personal qualities of resilience, maturity, sensitivity and ability to relate to others in a     discrete manner. The course in this area must be in compliance with    the professional body .

            ** the interview is conducted by one member of staff. Should there be any
doubt arising over the applicants’ suitability to be accepted on to the course, a     second interview is conducted with the applicant. A report is drafted in both     instances.

•           Personal Analysis concurrent with training with a Psychoanalyist who is recognised by the Tavistock training school. A minimum of four months analysis is required prior to application to the course which in a time sense means one year to proposed start of training.

    (for NSCAP: An undertaking to begin personal analysis four times weekly on starting the   training and to continue throughout the course. Three times a week may be acceptable in exceptional circumstances).

•           Possession of Enhanced Disclosure CRB

Once the above information is collated it is then carefully scrutinised by the Head of Training (Organising Tutor) and the final decision regarding admission is taken in the  Child Psychotherapy Training Group.

The offer of a place on the course from the Trust is however subject to the applicant successfully obtaining a training post/placement. There is a separate interview process with the organisation hosting each placement.

Applicants with either prior-certified learning or prior-experiential learning that closely matches the specified learning outcomes of the taught part of the programme may be able to claim exemption via agreed university procedures.  No exemption can be claimed against the research part of the programme or in situations where a professional body excludes it.

Where English is not the applicant’s first language, a minimum IELTS Academic English, or such qualifications as our University deems comparable, score of 7.0 overall, with a minimum of 6.5 in all components, is required at entry.  Such assessment of English language competence must normally have been undertaken no more than two years prior to application, though relevant and more recent study in a United Kingdom Higher Education Institution may be accepted as sufficient proof of ability.

During the first four years of this course students are employed in clinical trainee posts in CAMHS or other public sector child mental health organisations, but attend one full day of seminars and workshops as well as individual supervision on their clinical work. After clinical qualification, students continue to work towards the doctoral award. It is necessary to successfully achieve clinical qualification in order to achieve the academic award.

Learning takes place:

• In supervision groups, seminars and workshops as well as in individual supervisions of intensive training cases.
• In the clinical trainee post, which provides the opportunity to work with and learn from a multi-disciplinary team and where the student’s work is organised and supervised by a service supervisor who is an experienced child and adolescent psychotherapist.
• Seminars take place at the Tavistock on Wednesdays. (there are some optional events on Thursdays)
• At NSCAP, seminars take place on Thursdays and in Scotland on Fridays.
• There is access to computer and extensive library facilities at the Tavistock. 
• At NSCAP and SIHR, there is a small on-site library and remote access to the Tavistock Library.

Written requirements

Year One

1. An essay on research methods. (3,000 words)
2. Year 1 clinical practice assessment: Two session reports and a commentary on the transference demonstrating clinical evidence. (4,500 words) together with a note suitable for clinical file (250 words)

Year Two

1. Critique of a public health research paper. (3,000 words)
2. A paper arising from a specialised workshop attended, including a literature review of relevant clinical and research contributions. (5,000-6,000 words)

Year Three:
Professional Writing:

1. An assessment for psychotherapy. (2,000 words)
2. A specialist assessment.  (2,000 words)
3. A selection of letters and reports. (2,000)

Year Four:
Clinical dissertation. In depth case study.  (10,000-12,000 words)

Year Four/Five
Research thesis.  40 - 60,000 words

The work described in the portfolio is undertaken in NHS or other public sector settings and is supervised by clinic service supervisors as well as staff in the Training School, therefore there is access to experienced professionals and preparation for taking a place in the profession when qualified

The research described in the thesis is normally carried out in a clinical work setting as described above. The findings of the research is disseminated through contact with colleagues in the work setting and through publications and papers presented at conferences thereby influencing the work of both child psychotherapists and allied professions.

The clinical research thesis may be based on the casework undertaken as part of the required clinical experience, most commonly on one or more of the three, intensive, supervised psychotherapy cases.  Alternatively, students may undertake qualitative or quantitative research projects individually or as part of larger, clinical cohort studies.

Registration of the research component can only take place following a recommendation from the relevant School Research Degrees Sub-Committee to the university Research Degrees Subcommittee of the suitability of the candidate to undertake research, of the programme of research, of the supervision arrangements and of the research environment.  These approvals require appropriate academic judgement to be brought to bear on the viability of each research proposal. 

Candidates for a Professional Doctorate must successfully complete all assessed elements of their programme before award of the degree can be made.

Once the research stage of the programme is reached progression will be formally reviewed annually by a Panel comprised of staff with appropriate academic and professional expertise who are independent of the candidate’s supervisory team.  The School Research Degrees Sub-Committee and the university Research Degrees Subcommittee monitor the reports from these Panels.

The examination of the research component of the Professional Doctorate has two stages: firstly the submission and preliminary assessment of the research; and secondly its defence by oral examination.

Successful completion of the professional doctorate, D. Ch. Psych. Psych leads to professional qualification as a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist eligible for membership of the ACP and a career in the field of child mental health as a child psychotherapist in the NHS or in a voluntary sector organisation.

Students are supported by regular meetings with their personal tutors, the service supervisor in the clinical trainee post, by three intensive case supervisors, and by the leaders of their seminars.

The Graduate School is responsible for providing a focus to the support of our postgraduate research students and for our institution’s research and scholarly strategy.

Professional Doctorate students will have at least two and not normally more than three supervisors, who together demonstrate an appropriate range of academic and professional experience.  One supervisor shall be the Director of Studies with responsibility to supervise the candidate on a regular and frequent basis.