The programme is designed to assist students and practitioners who have a serious interest in psychoanalytic thinking and clinical practise. The aim of the programme is to develop an advanced level of understanding of contemporary psychoanalytic thought and to acquire new clinical skills in the practise of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Some of the most distinguished psychoanalytic teachers from around the world will be delivering the programme. Students will also be guided by experienced supervisors and tutors at the Centre for Psychotherapy.

Upon completion of the programme a student will be expected to be able to deliver psychoanalytic psychotherapy to a suitably assessed, disturbed individual, demonstrating designated therapeutic skills (see learning outcomes) and recognisable conceptual and technical methods acquired during the programme.

The Programme offers an innovative learning experience through the use ‘live’ seminars with psychoanalysts physically present as teachers, and through the use of advanced videoconferencing techniques to allow students access to some of the most influential psychoanalytic teachers in Europe, US and Latin America. It would be impossible to access this level of teaching in a traditional classroom environment.

Weekly clinical seminars which are peer led is a further innovative teaching experience created by the Centre to develop ideas, thinking and practical skills among students. Presentations of work with patients are discussed in a non-supervisory way in order to explore multiple perspectives on unconscious mental life.

As the programme takes place within the parameters of the NHS, students on this programme will find that patients are readily available to allow the undertaking of clinical work, which can be carried out and supervised on-site.

Students successfully completing the course will be eligible to apply for membership, at inceptor level of the The Northern Ireland Institute of Human Relations.

Applicants should possess an undergraduate degree and suitable clinical experience or demonstrate a serious interest in the practise of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. In exceptional cases, students who do not possess an undergraduate degree but who have extensive clinical experience treating disturbed patients may be considered.

An appropriate level of proficiency in the English language is required for students whose first language is not English.

Two references must be supplied to support any application.

Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults

Applicants should be aware that the programme will comply with the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (NI) Order 2003 (POCVA) and therefore all successful applicants will undergo POCVA checks which must have satisfactory outcomes before commencing training and placement work with clients. The Belfast Health & Social care Trust, which the Centre for Psychotherapy is a department of, is registered with the DHSSPS to undertake such checks. Entrance requirements also include compliance with the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974, and mental health legislation for clinical placement and employability in the NHS, local authority social services departments (LASSDs), working with children, and other similarly sensitive areas of employment. Satisfying the Centre of fitness to train in this respect is not a guarantee that a potential employer will take the same view relating to fitness to work. Procedures would be in accordance with University requirements.

Seminar

Seminars will be 60-90 minutes, comprising (on average) 30-45 minutes taught material and the remainder for group discussion of the seminar topic and the reading(s) around it. The teacher will be present in person at the Centre for Psychotherapy or by live video-link and the teaching will be delivered by a mix of Centre staff and invited guests from England, Europe and USA.

Clinical Work

Students will be expected to commit themselves to treating two NHS patients once weekly for 50 minutes each excluding vacations. Students will receive weekly supervision of this clinical work from one of the Centre’s psychoanalysts or psychoanalytic psychotherapists.

Supervision

Supervision will take place weekly in small supervision groups, allowing each student ample time to present their clinical work. Students will be asked to write up their sessions each week to provide a full clinical record of the therapy and to provide material for supervision. The groups will be conducted by an experienced supervisor from the Centre. The time spent in supervision is will also allow students to experience different perspectives on clinical material, and to raise concerns, ideas or questions regarding their experience of their clinical work.

Clinical Seminar/Workshop

These weekly peer group led seminars allow for discussion of current clinical work and psychoanalytic concepts in a non-supervisory context. Their aim is to deepen the participants’ grasp of the unconscious in the shaping of psychic reality. They run on Tuesdays between 12.30pm and 2pm and are open to experienced staff as well as students.

Personal Therapy

Students are required to be in personal therapy on a twice weekly basis for the duration of the course. It will be the responsibility of the student to arrange his or her personal therapy at their own cost and the therapist will be asked to provide the students tutor with a report which will provide a record of the students attendance at therapy.

Please note: This is a compulsory element of this course.

Assessment of students on the programme is based mainly on performance during programme work. Each module will be assessed via a 4000 word essay each semester as well as by each student giving an individual presentation supported by a 2000 word summary. Clinical work will be assessed through supervision and by supervisors through the students’ attendance at the clinical seminars/workshops.

The dissertation will comprise a very significant amount of the final evaluation of the programme (60 units). The dissertation is considered to be a particularly important aspect of the programme in that it will aim to bring together an adequate depth of understanding of programme theme(s) together with some original and integrative thinking on the part of the student. The dissertation itself may be predominately theoretical or clinical in orientation (although evidence of being able to address the clinical situation in a psychoanalytic manner will always be required). The student is free to select any topic covered in the seminars or a topic that emerges from clinical work with the patient. Two readers will be appointed to assess each dissertation.

The dissertation is undertaken by students on an individual basis. In carrying out the dissertation project, students will be supported by dissertation seminars, by their own peer study group and by an academic tutor appointed to assist students with their understanding of conceptual and theoretical issues. Every student is allocated a personal academic tutor. Supervisory meetings with the tutor are flexible and student driven, taking place on a one-to-one basis as and when required.

It is difficult to be precise regarding progression opportunities, as employment prospects for Psychotherapists vary around Northern Ireland. There is however, however, always a demand within the NHS for improved psychodynamic knowledge and for practitioners in psychotherapy. It is to be hoped that many of the people who undertake the programme will return to work in the NHS and thereby help to progress their own careers and their clinical output. There is, alongside the NHS, a growing private sector in psychotherapy and it is likely that a number of participants on the programme will follow this route. We would hope that some students on the programme will go on to undertake further research and to undertake PhD theses. The Centre for Psychotherapy has links with a range of psychiatric and psychotherapy modalities including forensic work, group psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, arts and music therapy that provide a ready avenue for such research.

The modular construction of the programme will allow for a number of options for students to study auxiliary subjects (art therapy, music therapy, CBT, group therapy etc) thereby facilitating potential career development in these areas.

Each student will attend an induction event to introduce them to the Centres staff and to the programme.

All students are allocated a personal tutor from the outset who will be responsible for supporting them throughout the programme and for addressing learning queries or any other problems they might be experiencing that could inhibit their progress.

There is an extremely well stocked library at the Centre for Psychotherapy which includes books, journals and offprints. In addition the Centre holds an Institutional PEP Licence, which allows students to have access to PEP Archives – the largest archive of full text psychoanalytic articles in the world.

The UEL Athens Account is also available to all students on the programme. This means students can access UEL’s Electronic Library which benefits from e-journals and university subscribed databases.

All lectures will be accompanied b y handouts and recommended reading lists which will be made available in advance of the lecture. In addition the majority of lectures will be recorded which will provide an archive of DVD’s for loan to students for revision purposes.

Students are allocated a dissertation supervisor who will meet regularly with them to offer advice and guidance on producing a high quality dissertation.