This course is validated by London Metropolitan University
The Diploma course is complete in itself. However, it also leads on to the Masters Degree or Diploma course in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy and the Masters Degree or Diploma course in Integrative Child Psychotherapy. It acts as the stepping-stone to the three year psychotherapy programmes leading to UKCP registration as a psychotherapist.
Course content
The course is divided into two sections:
Part One is designed to enable students to tap into their own creativity in order to reach a deeper level of connection with themselves and others; to appreciate the potential of the human imagination per se; to develop knowledge and understanding of the nature of the inner world, of dreams and the many different forms and uses of human imagery.
Part Two focuses on the supervised practise of facilitation skills and on the three-way communication between therapist, client and art image.
Theoretical Course Units (25% of course content)
The theoretical course units adopt frameworks and concepts from Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy, Psychoanalysis, Self Psychology and Neurobiology.
Practical Course Units (75% of course content)
The Therapeutic Application of: Art, Drama/Poetry, Sculpture/Clay, Poetry, Sandplay, Music, Dance/Movement.
Please note: This course is also the assessment year for the following courses: Masters Degree / Diploma in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy or Masters Degree / Diploma in Integrative Child Psychotherapy.
Admissions Criteria
All candidates must have the following:
- Be committed to working with the Arts and the active use of the imagination in the ways outlined by the philosophy of The Institute
- Agree to abide by the Code of Ethics, Code of Practice and Code of Conduct adhered to by The Institute
- Undertake personal psychotherapy with approved practitioners over the duration of the course
Be able to demonstrate the following capacities and abilities:
- Potential empathetic therapeutic presence
- Self-awareness and the ability to be open and emotionally undefended
- The ability to create with ease both mental and artistic images
- Sound emotional literacy skills
- Emotional robustness
- A good ability to play
- A good level of contact with others
- An accepting, compassionate, as opposed to judgmental, attitude towards others
- The ability to stay stable under stress
- A positive rather than frightened or inhibited relationship to the Arts
