The Tavistock adult psychoanalytic psychotherapy training (M1)

Advanced psychoanalytic psychotherapy training, within a working NHS Trust

Interdisciplinary training in adult psychotherapy

Duration: 4 years

Delivery: Face to face

Qualification: Clinical qualification

Location: London

Accredited by the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC), this course offers advanced psychoanalytic psychotherapy training within a specialist Mental Health Trust, preparing graduates for work in a wide variety of settings.

It offers a unique combination of intensive analytic teaching and practice, alongside additional opportunities to gain experience in the application of psychoanalytic ideas to a variety of patient groups – both in mental health and general medicine.

Please note: you may see the M1 course also referred to as PCTCTP005 in communications from our application system.

About this course

The course consists of theoretical and clinical seminars, clinical supervisions, tutorials and therapeutic work with patients.

The training follows the British Object Relations school of psychoanalysis. You will study the history of psychoanalytic theory – from Freud to all the major contributors to psychoanalysis in Britain, including contemporary clinicians who have influenced current practice and thinking.

You will explore current psychoanalytic thinking about the developmental tasks of infancy, childhood, latency and adolescence, personality structure and psychopathology, psychosomatic disorders, and theories of depression and anxiety.

All aspects of analytic understanding and technique, including transference, countertransference, free association and dreams, will also be covered.

In addition, there are opportunities in your clinical placement at the Tavistock to gain additional specialist experience in applications of psychoanalytic theory – including work with trauma and group psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

You will receive close supervision on all of your clinical work – intensive and non-intensive.

A requirement of this course is that you are in intensive personal psychoanalytic psychotherapy for a minimum frequency of three times per week, with a BPC-accredited psychoanalyst or psychoanalytic psychotherapist of a minimum of five years standing. We are happy to help and advise in your search for a suitable personal therapist – reach out to our admissions advisors for more information.

Read the external examiner report for this course, sent to the BPC in January 2022.

Who is this course for?

This course is for clinicians who already have experience in psychodynamic psychotherapy and are interested in developing their skills in intensive psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

Course details

In order to undertake this course we ask that you:

have a working knowledge of psychoanalytic theories and technique
have a graduate degree
have undertaken at least two years of weekly personal psychotherapy with a BPC-registered psychoanalytic psychotherapist or psychoanalyst of at least five years standing
commit to undertaking intensive, personal psychoanalytic psychotherapy with a BPC-registered psychoanalytic psychotherapist or psychoanalyst of at least five years standing for the duration of the course, meeting a minimum of three times per week
have a minimum of three years’ clinical experience, including at least 18 months of work with a patient in weekly psychotherapy, supervised by a BPC-registered psychoanalytic psychotherapist or psychoanalyst.

Home

£7,100 per year (2024/25)

International

£14,200 per year (2024/25)

You will be charged course fees for each year of your course. If your course is longer than one year, the fees that you will be charged after the first year will be subject to an annual inflationary increase. This will either be an increase of 3% or the Consumer Price Inflation as on 1 September of that year – whichever is the greater. At its discretion, the Trust may determine a figure between these two rates. Please refer to our Student Fees & Refund Policy for further information.

Financial support may be available to help you fund your studies at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.

Assessment

To achieve professional accreditation, you will be required to submit a 10,000 word written case study for assessment.

Your progress is assessed throughout the course through our termly progression board. These progression board meetings comprise all the key people involved in your training – your tutor, your supervisors and the course lead. They take place in December, March and July each year.

Formal reports from your supervisors, alongside feedback from your tutor. are discussed at the board and this information informs the board’s decisions regarding whether you are given permission to progress further in the training.

When you have completed all of the clinical and academic requirements, the board decides whether you have reached the level required for qualification.

Attendance

All teaching takes places on Thursday afternoons from 1.45pm to 5.00pm during term time.

However, you will be expected to be present for the majority of the day on Thursdays as there are other key clinical meetings and supervisions that take place in the morning and lunch time period.

This is a demanding course and whilst it can be done on a part-time basis you should expect to spend a minimum of 20 hours a week on the key components.

The key components include the academic afternoon on a Thursday, clinical work with patients, personal analytic therapy (a minimum of three sessions per week), supervision and clinical unit meetings. In addition, you will need to allow time for writing up sessions, reading theoretical texts and attending to clinical admin.

Graduates have gone on to work in a wide variety of settings including senior posts in the NHS. They have also gone on to work in third sector and independent settings.

Why study with us?

This course leads to qualification as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and enables you to register with the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC).

This is the only course of its kind to take place in a working NHS Trust – meaning that the training delivered is highly applicable and up-to-date, and giving our students the opportunity to gain additional experience in a range of areas.

The Tavistock Centre has an unrivalled reputation as an international centre of excellence in the training of mental health professionals and specifically in psychoanalytic psychotherapy training and its applications.